A Representative Wave Model for Estimation of Nearshore Local Transport Rate

This paper deals with the possibility of estimating the transport rate due to irregular oscillations from a single wave that represents the random velocity profile. A representative wave method is thus presented for this purpose. Velocity parameters required for making the representative wave at any location on a beach are then formulated as functions of the local wave parameters. Incorporating these results, a model is developed for prediction of local transport rate and its overall performance under moderate and high wave activity conditions are examined. The model is found to be sensitive to changes in environmental factors and is able to successfully produce the erosional and accretional trends observed in the nature. The predicted total longshore transport rates are discussed and compared with an available empirical formula.