Longshore Sand Transport Rate Distributions Measured in Lake Michigan

by Julie Dean Rosati, U.S. Army Engr Waterways Expt. Stn, Vicksburg, United States,
Kathryn J. Gingerich, U.S. Army Engr Waterways Expt. Stn, Vicksburg, United States,
Nicholas C. Kraus, U.S. Army Engr Waterways Expt. Stn, Vicksburg, United States,
Jane McKee Smith, U.S. Army Engr Waterways Expt. Stn, Vicksburg, United States,
Reginald A. Beach, U.S. Army Engr Waterways Expt. Stn, Vicksburg, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Sediments

Abstract:

Cross-shore and vertical distributions of longshore sand transport in the nearshore zone were measured in a field data collection project conducted at Ludington, Michigan, on the east shore of Lake Michigan during September 1988. Sand transport rates were measured across the surf zone and beyond with streamer traps in four runs. In other runs, transport rates were concurrently measured with a streamer trap and an array of Optical Backscatter Sensors (OBS) mounted vertically on a trap frame for ten deployments. Cross-shore distributions of sand transport indicate the greatest magnitude in the vicinity of the inner breaker line. For one run that extended to the outer bar, the total quantity of material moving in the wide region extending from the inner to outer bars was comparable to the total quantity transported in the narrow inner surf zone. Individual OBS and trap measurements at the current meter elevation agree within a factor of 3.5 (68% certainty). For sediment transport measurements in which order of magnitude estimates are the norm, comparison between the OBS and trap is considered favorable.

Subject Headings: Littoral drift | Sediment transport | Sand (hydraulic) | Sandy soils | Lakes | Transport rates | Surf zones | Great Lakes | Lake Michigan | Michigan | United States

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