Numerical Modeling of Storm-Induced Beach Erosion

Beaches erode and accrete in response to varying waves and water levels in the nearshore zone. During storms, catastrophic beach and dune erosion can occur in a matter of hours, resulting in significant shoreline recession and damage to property and upland resources. Consequently, protection of upland infrastructure against storm erosion, flooding, and wave attack is a primary concern in the field of coastal engineering. Effective design of shore protection measures requires an understanding of and the capability to predict sediment transport processes that control beach response to storms. Numerical modeling of beach evolution is a powerful technique that can be applied to assist in project design. Numerical models provide a framework for predicting project response, objectively evaluating the effectiveness of design alternatives, and analyzing data to develop an understanding of coastal processes. The Storm- induced BEAch CHange (SBEACH) numerical model has been developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an engineering tool for simulating beach profile evolution in response to storms.