Sediment dynamics of mixed sand and gravel beaches at short timescales

This article describes a series of experiments undertaken on a mixed sand and gravel beach at Porto Recanati. The aim of this article was to understand the mechanisms of sediment transport on the sub-aerial beach. Sediment transport was studied using tracers under moderate wave conditions. It is interesting to notice that while sand and fine gravel transport was correlated with longshore currents, pebbles moved mainly cross-shore. As wave energy decreased, disk-shaped pebbles moved up on the beach profile, and changed the beach sediment characteristics. The work has important implications for beach replenishments and for beach users interested in the characteristics of surface sediment.