Bedform (ripple) geometry is an important feature in the nearshore that can significantly enhance wave energy dissipation. Ripples regulate wave transformation and influence the sediment transport phenomenon. These issues are of particular importance when determining beach erosion and investigating other coastal processes. Although numerous studies have addressed the issue of bedform geometry under surface gravity waves, no single model is considered adequate. The relative roughness and subsequent wave energy dissipation are governed by attributes that include ripple height and wavelength. The comparatively large wave tank facility at Davidson Laboratory (Stevens Institute of Technology, Castle Point on the Hudson, Hoboken, New Jersey) provided an ideal opportunity for investigating bedform features for a flat bed, as well as the novel study of a sloped sediment bed. Our results provide new data that strengthen prior relationships and demonstrate that a sloped surface may be modeled in a similar fashion to a flat sediment bed. We have successfully compared irregular waves from the laboratory to field measurements and selected an existing model that is consistent with our data. Perhaps one of the most significant conclusions from this research is that the identified models for ripple dimensions on the flat surface predict values for bedform geometry on the sloped surface as well.
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1 November 2011
Laboratory Investigation of Bedform Geometry under Regular and Irregular Surface Gravity Waves
Roy C. Messaros,
Michael S. Bruno
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Journal of Coastal Research
Vol. 27 • No. 6A
November 2011
Vol. 27 • No. 6A
November 2011
Bedform geometry
bottom orbital excursion amplitude
ripple geometry
ripple height
ripple wavelength
sloped sediment bed