Modeling a Shore Profile Formed by Storm Cycle Impact

Abstract

A model is developed for predicting the sand shore profile formed by storm event impact. The model takes into account the cumulative effect of elementary processes responsible for changes in the nearshore relief and relies on both the law of conservation of mass and the adopted geometrical scheme for the coastal profile. The latter is approximated by analytical curves, the properties of which are related to the acting wave parameters. The morphological consequences of a given storm are determined by the concept of effective wave height taking into account the temporal structure of the storm cycle and, in particular, the relative duration of the storm decay phase. The model is verified by published observation data obtained for the US Atlantic and Pacific coasts.