Wave Climate at Torrey Pines Beach, California

Source: https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/jspui/The wave climate at a site off Torrey Pines Beach, California, was studied using a line array of four pressure sensors which roughly parallels the coastline at a depth of 10 meters. The pressure sensors were linked to a shelf station that contained accelerometers and, at times, electromagnetic current meters .and a surface-piercing staff. The data were transmitted by radio link to a shore recording station. Wave records were taken four times daily for a 16-month period from February 1973 to May 1974. The pressure-sensor array data were used to calculate estimates of the frequency-directional spectra of the wave field. The spectra were investigated in an effort to characterize the principal components of the wave field. The wave components were identified as peaks .in the frequency spectra. The energy, peak frequency, bandwidth, and direction of these wave components were obtained in the data analysis. These parameters of the wave field are recorded in a tabular form. Seasonal groupings of the wave data reveal the variations of the typical wave conditions over the year. Improvements to the anchoring of cables and connections of the shelf station eliminated most of its failure modes, and the SAS system remained on station and operative during some seven storms in the winter of 1974. The SAS shows promise of being a reliable long-term data collection system for nearshore waters.Scripps Institution of Oceanograph

The ECORS-Truc Vert’08 nearshore field experiment: Presentation of a three-dimensional morphologic system in a macro-tidal environment during consecutive extreme storm conditions

A large multi-institutional nearshore field experiment was conducted at Truc Vert, on the Atlantic coast of France in early 2008. Truc Vert’08 was designed to measure beach change on a long, sandy stretch of coast without engineering works with emphasis on large winter waves (offshore significant wave height up to 8 m), a three-dimensional morphology, and macro-tidal conditions. Nearshore wave transformation, circulation and bathymetric changes involve coupled processes at many spatial and temporal scales thus implying the need to improve our knowledge for the full spectrum of scales to achieve a comprehensive view of the natural system. This experiment is unique when compared with existing experiments because of the simultaneous investigation of processes at different scales, both spatially (from ripples to sand banks) and temporally (from single swash events to several spring-neap tidal cycles, including a major storm event). The purpose of this paper is to provide background information on the experiment by providing detailed presentation of the instrument layout and snapshots of preliminary results.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience