The effect of wave obliquity on dune erosion

Abstract

Storm conditions can lead to excessive dune erosion with potential floods as a consequence. Barrier islands and low-lying countries protected by dunes are especially vulnerable to dune erosion. To properly assess the risks these areas face, a clear understanding of the physical processes during dune erosion is required. One of such processes is the effect of wave obliquity on sediment transport in the surf zone. Classic dune erosion models assume that dune erosion volumes decrease under oblique wave attack, because the time-averaged cross-shore undertow decreases in magnitude and with that offshore directed sediment transport decreases (Steetzel, 1993). More recent process-based erosion models predict an increase in erosion quantities, because the generated longshore currents increase surf zone sediment concentrations, and with that offshore directed sediment transport increases (Den Heijer, 2013). The main objective of this study is to analyse the effect of wave obliquity on dune erosion through a field experiment, by quantifying the effect of the decreasing undertow but increasing alongshore current on sediment concentrations in the surf zone.