Spatial variability in post-storm beach recovery along a macrotidal barred beach, southern North Sea
Maspataud, A.; Ruz, M.-H.; Hequette, A. (2009). Spatial variability in post-storm beach recovery along a macrotidal barred beach, southern North Sea. J. Coast. Res. Special issue(56): [1]-[5]
In: Journal of Coastal Research. Coastal Education and Research Foundation: Fort Lauderdale. ISSN 0749-0208; e-ISSN 1551-5036, more
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Document type: Conference paper
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Storm impact; beach-dune evolution; intertidal bars and troughs |
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- Maspataud, A.
- Ruz, M.-H., more
- Hequette, A.
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| Abstract |
Field studies carried out on pre- and post-storm beach response have showed that large volumes of sand can be eroded in beaches and dunes during a single storm event, which is commonly followed by phases of beach recovery. No more than a few hours are required to induce significant beach erosion during a high energy event, but post-storm beach and dune recovery occurs at longer time scales, a period of several years being generally necessary for the re-establishment of the former morphology. This study documents phases of beach recovery that followed two stormy events on a macrotidal sandy beach of northern France characterized by complex intertidal bar-trough topography. The study area extends along a I km long coastal stretch between Dunkirk and the Belgium border, facing the fetch-limited Southern North Sea. High-resolution beach profiles were surveyed at three different sites before and after storm events that resulted in upper beach and foredune erosion in March 2008. The comparison of series' of beach profiles obtained several months after these storms revealed distinct beach responses at each site, with two profiles tending to return to their pre-storm position, whilst the other profile did not recover. This variability over such a limited distance may be due to temporal and spatial variations in bar-trough beach morphology that may be responsible for the observed differences in short-term beach recovery behaviour. |
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