MOMENTUM BALANCE UNDER PLUNGING BREAKERS: THE ROLE OF ADVECTION ON SEDIMENT MOBILIZATION AND TRANSPORT

Abstract

Pressure gradients are thought to be important in sediment mobilization and transport [Madsen 1976; Foster et al. 2006]. Prior studies have incorporated this effect in sediment transport models [Drake & Calantoni 2001; Hoefel & Elgar 2003] through a local acceleration term as a proxy of the horizontal pressure gradient. However, the poor correlation between the total force and the local acceleration inside the surf /swash region has been pointed out in model-based investigations [e.g., Puleo et al. 2007; Pedrozo-Acuña et al. 2010]. This work aims to refine the analysis of the momentum balance under plunging breakers and to evaluate the implications for sediment mobilization .