The Profile Volume Approach to Beach Nourishment

Kana, Timothy W.; ,

The Profile Volume Approach to Beach Nourishment

by Timothy W. Kana, Coastal Science and Engineering, Inc, Columbia, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Beach Nourishment Engineering and Management Considerations

Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to outline a design approach to beach nourishment that emphasizes profile volumes. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed and related to other analytical techniques for predicting beach fill needs. Unit profile volumes (the sand quantity between reference contours) are a primary basis for defining the condition of the beach, comparing one reach with another and computing surplus or deficit quantities. By selecting contours that encompass the entire surf zone from the base of foredunes to low-tide wading depth, daily and small-scale perturbations of beachface slope and beach amorphology are ignored. An ideal present profile is developed for the reach in question and used as a basis for comparison of profiles, for delineation of the natural shoreline in the absence of structures, and for estimate of sand deficits. The design approach is predicated on the concept that regardless of how a project is constructed, incident waves will soon modify the slope of the fill and redistribute it into an equilibrium profile and planform for that section of coast.

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