[1] Wave and tide are important forcing factors that typically coexist in coastal environments. A numerical study was conducted to investigate individual and combined effects of these forces on flow and mixing processes in a nearshore subterranean estuary. A hydrodynamic model based on the shallow water equations was used to simulate dynamic sea level oscillations driven by wave and tide. The oscillating sea levels determined the seaward boundary condition of the coastal aquifer, where variably saturated, variable density flow was modeled. The simulation results showed that waves induced an onshore upward tilt in the phase-averaged sea level (wave setup). The resulting hydraulic gradient generated pore water circulations in the nearshore zone of the coastal aquifer, which led to formation of an upper saline plume (USP) similar to that formed due to tides. However, mixing of recirculating seawater in the USP with underlying fresh groundwater was less intensive under the high-frequency wave oscillations. In the case of combined forcing, wave-induced circulations coupled with the intratidal flows strengthened the averaged, circulating pore water flows in the nearshore zone over the tidal period. The circulating flows increased exchange between the subterranean estuary and ocean, contributing 61% of the total submarine groundwater discharge for the simulated condition in comparison with the 40% and 49% proportions caused by the same but separate tidal and wave forcing, respectively. The combined forces also created a more extensive USP with the freshwater discharge zone shifted farther seaward. The freshwater flow paths in the intertidal subterranean estuary were modified with a significant increase in the associated transit times. The interplay of wave and tide led to increased mixing between discharging fresh groundwater and recirculating seawater. These results further demonstrate the complexity of nearshore groundwater systems and have implications for future investigations on the fate of land-sourced chemicals in the subterranean estuary prior to discharge to the ocean.

Coastal groundwater systems can have a considerable impact on sediment transport and foreshore evolution in the surf and swash zones. Process-based modeling of wave motion on a permeable beach taking into account wave-aquifer interactions was conducted to investigate the effects of the unconfined coastal aquifer on beach profile evolution, and wave shoaling on the watertable. The simulation first dealt with wave breaking and wave runup/rundown in the surf and swash zones. Nearshore hydrodynamics and wave propagation in the cross-shore direction were simulated by solving numerically the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations with a k-ε turbulence closure model and the Volume-Of-Fluid technique. The hydrodynamic model was coupled to a groundwater flow model based on SEAWAT-2000, the latter describing groundwater flow in the unconfined coastal aquifer. The combined model enables the simulation of wave-induced watertable fluctuations and the effects of infiltration/exfiltration on nearshore sediment transport. Numerical results of the coupled ocean/aquifer simulations were found to compare well with experimental measurements. Wave breaking and infiltration/exfiltration increase the hydraulic gradient across the beachface and enhance groundwater circulation inside the porous medium. The large hydraulic head gradient in the surf zone leads to infiltration across the beachface before the breaking point, with exfiltration taking place below the breaking point. In the swash zone, infiltration occurs at the upper part of the beach and exfiltration at the lower part. The simulations confirm that beaches with a low watertable tend to be accreted while those with a high watertable tend to be eroded.

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Numerical simulations were carried out to determine the residence (or flushing) time of water in Vidy Bay (north shore of Lake Geneva) for different meteorological conditions. A hydrodynamic model (Delft3D-FLOW) was applied to simulate the flow field in the embayment during 2010 and January 2011. Using these results, particle tracking was applied to estimate transport of wastewater effluent discharged into the embayment. The model predictions compared well with published field measurements of dissolved species (as given by electrical conductivity profiles) within the wastewater. The pelagic boundary of the embayment was defined by the largest within-bay gyre. Based on this definition, particle tracking was used to quantify the residence time under dominant wind conditions. Similarly, particle tracking was used to determine the travel time (i.e., time to exit the embayment) for each of Vidy Bay's three inflows (stream, stormwater and wastewater effluent). Although the wind field over the lake is variable, current patterns in the embayment can be simulated using the hydrodynamic model forced by a spatially uniform wind field. For a given wind speed, the main factor influencing residence and travel times is the wind angle. The presence of gyres leads to high mean residence times with large variability. As the wind direction becomes more aligned with the shoreline (i.e., with increasing westerly or easterly components), longshore currents dominate. These disrupt gyre formation and markedly reduce the mean and variability of embayment residence time. The numerical model was utilized to assess the potential for plume movement (in plan) from above the wastewater effluent outfall towards one of Lausanne's drinking water intakes. In the most direct pathway, westward longshore currents can move water from the embayment to the water column above the intake location.

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a b s t r a c tA two-dimensional two-phase flow framework for fluid-sediment flow simulation in the surf and swash zones was described. Propagation, breaking, uprush and backwash of waves on sloping beaches were studied numerically with an emphasis on fluid hydrodynamics and sediment transport characteristics. The model includes interactive fluid-solid forces and intergranular stresses in the moving sediment layer. In the Euler-Euler approach adopted, two phases were defined using the Navier-Stokes equations with interphase coupling for momentum conservation. The k-e closure model and volume of fluid approach were used to describe the turbulence and tracking of the free surface, respectively. Numerical simulations explored incident wave conditions, specifically spilling and plunging breakers, on both dissipative and intermediate beaches. It was found that the spatial variation of sediment concentration in the swash zone is asymmetric, while the temporal behavior is characterized by maximum sediment concentrations at the start and end of the swash cycle. The numerical results also indicated that the maximum turbulent kinetic energy and sediment flux occurs near the wave-breaking point. These predictions are in general agreement with previous observations, while the model describes the fluid and sediment phase characteristics in much more detail than existing measurements. With direct quantifications of velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, sediment concentration and flux, the model provides a useful approach to improve mechanistic understanding of hydrodynamic and sediment transport in the nearshore zone.