Bedform contributions to cross-shore sediment transport on a dissipative beach

• ADVs, OBSs, PTs, and a ripple profiling sonar were deployed on a dissipative beach.
• Cross-shore sediment flux and bedform migration were measured across the surf zone.
• Suspended transport was dominated by an offshore directed, mid-surf, mean component.
• Shoreward bedform migration increased with wave skewness but was halted by undertow.
• Bedforms contributed up to 15% of the transport, maximum just inside the breakpoint.

Field measurements of hydrodynamics, suspended sediment transport rates and bedform sediment transport rates were made in the intertidal section of a dissipative sandy beach (D50 = 0.26 mm, slope = 1/80) at Perranporth (UK). Pressure transducers, acoustic Doppler velocimeters, optical backscatter sensors and an acoustic sand ripple profiler were deployed for 12 tides, measuring in a range of wave heights from 0.5 to 2.2 m, water depths from 1 to 6 m, and in current strengths up to 0.4 m/s. Data were analysed in terms of the distance to shore (x) normalised by the surf zone width (xs), and spanned the region 0.4 < x/xs < 3. Bedform heights up to 30 cm and wavelengths 0.5 to 2.7 m were recorded. Maximum wavelengths were observed just shoreward of the breakpoint. Bedforms were classified as sub-orbital, vortex ripples. Bedform migration was mostly onshore directed, and correlated with positive (onshore) wave skewness. Migration rates increased through the shoaling zone to a maximum of 1.5 cm/min just shoreward of the breakpoint (x/xs = 0.8). The bedform component of sediment transport was generally onshore directed, and maximum just shoreward of the breakpoint (0.021 kg/m/s). Point measurements showed that the cross-shore suspended sediment transport 25 cm above the bed was dominated by the mean component, with an offshore directed maximum at x/xs = 0.5. Contributions to onshore transport were only made by the incident wave (gravity band) component. The total depth integrated suspended sediment transport was offshore directed and maximum in the mid surf zone (− 0.16 kg/m/s). The depth integrated suspended sediment transport dominated over the bedform sediment transport in the inner to mid surf zone (x/xs < 0.5) and in the outer shoaling zone (x/xs > 1.5). The fractional contribution of the shoreward directed bedform transport to the total absolute transport was up to 100%, and occurred broadly in the region of the breakpoint (0.5 < x/xs < 1.5). However, spatial averaging in the cross-shore indicated that a more realistic bedform contribution was up to 15% of the transport, with a maximum at x/xs = 0.9. Results from this dissipative beach experiment generally agree with previous findings on intermediate beaches, steep beaches, and offshore sandbars.