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Nearshore Processes |
| Physical Oceanography |
A long-term goal of nearshore processes research is to understand and predict the evolution of surface gravity waves propagating across the nearshore to the beach, the corresponding wave-driven circulation, and the subsequent evolution of surfzone and beachface morphology. The region of interest extends from well seawards of the surf zone to the most shoreward location on the beach face reached by wave runup. Sometimes beach morphology is relatively unchanging for months, but morphologies such as sand bars and rip channels can change in only a few hours during storms. The changing bathymetry in turn alters the patterns of wave breaking leading to further modification of the morphology. In the nearshore, wave breaking, circulation, and the evolving bathymetry are strongly coupled.
In situ observations and computer models are used by Scripps scientists to study nearshore processes. The figure shows a cross-shore array of sensors mounted on goalpost-shaped frames deployed between the shoreline (foreground) and 8-m water depth near Duck, NC. Waves on the horizon are about 4 m high. Each frame holds a sonar altimeter (to monitor changes in the seafloor location), an electromagnetic current meter (to measure alongshore and cross-shore velocities, and a pressure gauge (to measure wave heights). The instruments are cabled to shore allowing real time data analysis. Arrays of this type are used to study waves, currents, and the associated changes in beach morphology (e.g. erosion) that occur on time scales ranging from seconds to months,
Faculty doing nearshore research at Scripps:
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Physical Oceanography at Scripps