Nearshore Sediment Transport Study Experiments

Abstract

The Nearshore Sediment Transport Study (NSTS) is a multi-institutional research program with the objective of developing improved engineering predictive models for transport of sediment. both longshore and cross shore, by waves and currents. The program is sponsored by the Office of Sea Grant (OSG), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A general introduction to the objectivesi schedule and organization of the NSTS program was presented at the 16th ICCE by Seymour and Duane (1979). Shortly after the Hamburg Conference, the first major field experiment was conducted at Torrey Pines Beach. California, in November, 1978. The second major experiment was conducted 14 months later in February, 1980 at Leadbetter Beach, in Santa Barbara, California. Each of these experiments involved levels of measurement intensity that appear to exceed by a large factor those of any similar work. Because of the large data sets obtained and the importance of these data to other investigators in coastal processes, the NSTS project is making them available promptly. In the following sections, a general description will be given for each of these experiments and information supplied on how the data may be obtained.

Field Measurements of Sand Motion in the Surf Zone

“…The studies have been conducted jointly by research teams from five universities. The first field experiments were carried out at Torrey Pines Beach near San Diego, California', in March 1977and November-December 1978(Gable (ed), 1979Seymour and Gable, 1980). Additional experiments have recently been conducted near Santa Barbara, California, in February 1980. The purpose of this paper is to present the results from the two most comprehensive, high energy experiments conducted on 11 March 1977 and 6 December 1978.…”

Field Investigations of Suspended Sediment Transport in the Nearshore Zone

“…As part of the Nearshore Sediment Transport Study (NSTS) carried out at Leadbetter Beach, Santa Barbara, California, in January-February 1980 (7), an extensive series of suspended sediment measurements were made concurrently with observations of wave motions (currents and water level fluctuations), sediment characteristics, and beach profiles. The total NSTS experiment was broad in scope, integrating a wide variety of research objectives (20,21,22). This project emphasized suspended sediment transport, with major objectives of characterizing the temporal and spatial suspended sediment distribution across the surf zone and investigating the relationship between surf zone physical processes and the littoral transport of suspended sediment.…”