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The coastal-tract (part 2): applications of aggregated modeling to lower-order coastal change

The coastal-tract (part 2): applications of aggregated modeling to lower-order coastal change
The coastal-tract (part 2): applications of aggregated modeling to lower-order coastal change
The coastal-tract approach to coastal morphodynamics, described in the companion paper (The Coastal-Tract Part 1), provides a framework for aggregation of process and spatial dimensions in modeling low-order coastal change (i.e., evolution of the shoreline, continental shelf and coastal plain on time scales of 102 to 103 years). Behavior-oriented, coastal-change models encapsulate aggregate dynamics of the coastal tract. We apply these models in a coastal-tract framework to illustrate the use of the concept, and to explore low-order morphological coupling under different environmental settings. These settings are characterized by data-models that we have constructed from four contrasting continental margins (NW Europe, US Pacific, US Atlantic, and SE Australia). The gross kinematics of the coastal tract are constrained and steered by sediment-mass continuity. The rate of coastal advance or retreat is determined quantitatively by the balance between the change in sediment accommodation-space, caused by sea-level movements, and sediment availability. If the lower shoreface is shallower than required for equilibrium (negative accommodation), then sand is transferred to the upper shoreface (NW Europe, US Pacific, and SE Australian cases modelled) so that the shoreline tends to advance seaward. This tendency also occurs when relative sea level is falling (coastal emergence). Coastal retreat occurs when the lower shoreface is too deep for equilibrium (positive shoreface accommodation). This sediment-sharing between the upper and lower shoreface is an internal coupling that governs first-order coastal change. The upper shoreface and backbarrier (lagoon, estuary or mainland) also are coupled in first-order coastal change. Sediment accommodation-space is generated in the backbarrier by sea-level rise (and reduced by sea-level fall), but the amount of space is also moderated by influx of fine sediments from the coast, or sand and mud from fluvial sources. Remaining space can then be occupied by sand transferred from the upper shoreface causing a retreat of the latter (transgressive phases modelled for NW Europe, US Atlantic, and SE Australian cases).
aggregate change, shoreface, backbarrier, lagoon, scale, coastal tract, coastal-tract cascade, templating, data-model, behavior-oriented models, morphological coupling, sea level, sediment supply, coastal evolution, coastal management, sea-level rise, transgression, regression, barrier, continental-shelf, sediments, accommodation-space, numerical model
0749-0208
828-848
Cowell, Peter J.
f16345d9-1892-4610-8f05-7eb059669404
Stive, Marcel J.F.
37b20a77-14c0-4e28-a4b9-214633b374a2
Niedoroda, Alan W.
a33b364e-ffde-429d-8916-4f37740217bc
Swift, Don J.P.
027116d4-0560-40ad-b1b8-d8f963e3e87b
Vriend, Huib J.
79f5a1fb-5c46-440d-a918-5b210c1ffb7f
Buijsman, Maarten C.
aa986b6b-6194-45de-a72c-39a44f205d81
Nicholls, Robert J.
4ce1e355-cc5d-4702-8124-820932c57076
Roy, Peter S.
2378908e-92f7-48fe-8d05-4769ab39fff4
Kaminsky, George M.
355e3c3a-c216-4bb2-a4b4-626a68c74d54
Cleveringa, Jelmer
fa90830f-81b5-4254-bce3-9a23c1e91236
Reed, Chris W.
2e1e9963-ee7e-419b-9b56-d00f4f87568c
Boer, Poppe L.
6af48d61-b188-44fe-a9a5-5c7269b30537
Cowell, Peter J.
f16345d9-1892-4610-8f05-7eb059669404
Stive, Marcel J.F.
37b20a77-14c0-4e28-a4b9-214633b374a2
Niedoroda, Alan W.
a33b364e-ffde-429d-8916-4f37740217bc
Swift, Don J.P.
027116d4-0560-40ad-b1b8-d8f963e3e87b
Vriend, Huib J.
79f5a1fb-5c46-440d-a918-5b210c1ffb7f
Buijsman, Maarten C.
aa986b6b-6194-45de-a72c-39a44f205d81
Nicholls, Robert J.
4ce1e355-cc5d-4702-8124-820932c57076
Roy, Peter S.
2378908e-92f7-48fe-8d05-4769ab39fff4
Kaminsky, George M.
355e3c3a-c216-4bb2-a4b4-626a68c74d54
Cleveringa, Jelmer
fa90830f-81b5-4254-bce3-9a23c1e91236
Reed, Chris W.
2e1e9963-ee7e-419b-9b56-d00f4f87568c
Boer, Poppe L.
6af48d61-b188-44fe-a9a5-5c7269b30537

Cowell, Peter J., Stive, Marcel J.F., Niedoroda, Alan W., Swift, Don J.P., Vriend, Huib J., Buijsman, Maarten C., Nicholls, Robert J., Roy, Peter S., Kaminsky, George M., Cleveringa, Jelmer, Reed, Chris W. and Boer, Poppe L. (2003) The coastal-tract (part 2): applications of aggregated modeling to lower-order coastal change. Journal of Coastal Research, 19 (4), 828-848.

Record type: Article

Abstract

The coastal-tract approach to coastal morphodynamics, described in the companion paper (The Coastal-Tract Part 1), provides a framework for aggregation of process and spatial dimensions in modeling low-order coastal change (i.e., evolution of the shoreline, continental shelf and coastal plain on time scales of 102 to 103 years). Behavior-oriented, coastal-change models encapsulate aggregate dynamics of the coastal tract. We apply these models in a coastal-tract framework to illustrate the use of the concept, and to explore low-order morphological coupling under different environmental settings. These settings are characterized by data-models that we have constructed from four contrasting continental margins (NW Europe, US Pacific, US Atlantic, and SE Australia). The gross kinematics of the coastal tract are constrained and steered by sediment-mass continuity. The rate of coastal advance or retreat is determined quantitatively by the balance between the change in sediment accommodation-space, caused by sea-level movements, and sediment availability. If the lower shoreface is shallower than required for equilibrium (negative accommodation), then sand is transferred to the upper shoreface (NW Europe, US Pacific, and SE Australian cases modelled) so that the shoreline tends to advance seaward. This tendency also occurs when relative sea level is falling (coastal emergence). Coastal retreat occurs when the lower shoreface is too deep for equilibrium (positive shoreface accommodation). This sediment-sharing between the upper and lower shoreface is an internal coupling that governs first-order coastal change. The upper shoreface and backbarrier (lagoon, estuary or mainland) also are coupled in first-order coastal change. Sediment accommodation-space is generated in the backbarrier by sea-level rise (and reduced by sea-level fall), but the amount of space is also moderated by influx of fine sediments from the coast, or sand and mud from fluvial sources. Remaining space can then be occupied by sand transferred from the upper shoreface causing a retreat of the latter (transgressive phases modelled for NW Europe, US Atlantic, and SE Australian cases).

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More information

Published date: November 2003
Keywords: aggregate change, shoreface, backbarrier, lagoon, scale, coastal tract, coastal-tract cascade, templating, data-model, behavior-oriented models, morphological coupling, sea level, sediment supply, coastal evolution, coastal management, sea-level rise, transgression, regression, barrier, continental-shelf, sediments, accommodation-space, numerical model

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 53518
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/53518
ISSN: 0749-0208
PURE UUID: 50f9528d-0652-425e-8664-738e8ceb51b3
ORCID for Robert J. Nicholls: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9715-1109

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 23 Jul 2008
Last modified: 08 Jan 2022 02:59

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Contributors

Author: Peter J. Cowell
Author: Marcel J.F. Stive
Author: Alan W. Niedoroda
Author: Don J.P. Swift
Author: Huib J. Vriend
Author: Maarten C. Buijsman
Author: Peter S. Roy
Author: George M. Kaminsky
Author: Jelmer Cleveringa
Author: Chris W. Reed
Author: Poppe L. Boer

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