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Beach Profile Evolution Under Plunging And Spilling Breakers, Ping Wang, Bruce A. Ebersole, Ernest R. Smith

Geology Faculty Publications

Beach-profile evolution, along with measurements of waves, currents, and sediment concentration, under spilling and plunging breakers of similar height were studied in the three-dimensional Large-Scale Sediment Transport Facility at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. Unidirectional irregular waves were generated over a fine-sand beach. Beach-profile shape reached equilibrium after 1,330 and 280 min of spilling and plunging wave actions, respectively. Near the main breaker line, the profile evolved differently under plunging and spilling breakers. Across most of the midsurf zone dominated by surf bores, the equilibrium profile shapes were similar. Uniform energy dissipation per unit volume at equilibrium, …