Numerical modeling of erosion and recovery of Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches in Delaware
Date
2011
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Our capability for predicting beach and dune erosion has improved for the last three decades but the recovery of an eroded beach cannot be predicted at present. The cycle of beach erosion and recovery will need to be predicted for the long-term maintenance of a sand beach with a dune for coastal flooding reduction. The cross-shore numerical model CSHORE is extended and evaluated using natural beach erosion and recovery data along 16 cross-shore lines spanning 5 km alongshore for the duration of 272 days. CSHORE predicts beach and dune erosion fairly well as has been shown in the previous comparisons. The bed load formula used in CSHORE is adjusted to predict the accreted beach profile with a berm. The computed beach profile evolutions are shown to be affected little by the alongshore gradient of the longshore sediment transport rate along the straight beach. The extended CSHORE predicts both erosion and accretion above the mean sea level within a factor of about 2.