Measuring and modelling longshore sediment transport

Field measurements of longshore sediment transport (LST) was undertaken on barred and non-barred beaches composed of fine, medium and coarse sands in Brazil, Denmark and Portugal. Measurements and predictions of vertical suspended sediment concentration profiles (C-Profiles) and cross-shore hydrodynamic parameters were then combined in a new semi-empirical model for prediction of LST (LT-MOD). Instantaneous LST predictions from LT-MOD and well-known bulk LST formulae were compared. Tests using LT-MOD to simulate measured changes in shoreline position in southern Brazil for periods of c. two years showed that LT-MOD gave more accurate predictions than existing bulk LST formulae. Results indicate that LT-MOD may have practical utility at sites where access to equipment is limited and where reliable estimates of LST are required over extended periods.