Wave-induced oscillatory flow over a sloping rippled bed

Abstract

In this paper, the findings of an experimental analysis aimed at investigating the flow generated by waves propagating over a fixed rippled bed within a wave flume are reported. The bottom of the wave flume was constituted by horizontal part followed by a 1:10 sloping beach. Bedforms were generated in a previous campaign performed with loose sand, and then hardened by means of thin layers of concrete. The flow was acquired through a Vectrino Profiler along two different ripples, one located in the horizontal part of the bed and the second over the sloping beach. It was observed that, on the horizontal bed, near the bottom, ripple lee side triggered the appearance of an onshore directed steady streaming, whereas ripple stoss side gave rise to an offshore directed steady streaming. On the sloping bed, a strong return current appears at all positions, interacting with the rippled bottom. The turbulence is non-negligible within the investigated water depth, particularly when velocities were onshore directed, due to flow asymmetry. Turbulence caused a considerable flow stirring which, above a non-cohesive bed, could lift the sediment up in the water column and give rise to a strong sediment transport.