Circulation of groundwater due to wave set-up on a permeable beach

Abstract

Sandy beaches are highly exploited but very dynamic and fragile environments. Driven by waves, the water flow through the beach body is able to transport oxygen, and hence help to maintain biological activity in the porous media. The paper presents a theoretical attempt to predict the groundwater circulation due to wave set-up. Two systems of circulations have been discovered, related to two different gradients of the set-up height. For the offshore gradient, the horizontal excess pressure gradient induces flow in the offshore direction. However, closer to the shore, the pressure gradient is reversed and the resulting flow moves shorewards.

Keywords

• Surface waves
• Sandy beaches
• Filtration
• Mathematical modelling