Storm-Induced Neashore Sediment Transport

Each year storms impact coastal areas, sometimes causing significant
morphologic change. Cold fronts are associated with increased wave energy and
frequently occur during the winter months along many coasts, such as the Atlantic and
Gulf of Mexico. The higher wave energy can be responsible for a large quantity of the
sediment transport resulting in rapid morphologic change. Using streamer traps, the
vertical distribution of onshore-directed sediment transport during two different cold
fronts on two low-wave energy beaches (i.e., along the northern Yucatan and southeast
Florida) were compared with the resulting morphologic change. The objectives of this
study are to: 1) analyze the grain size distribution (statistics) of sediment transported
during a cold front, 2) compare the vertical sediment distribution throughout the water
column, and 3) compare characteristics of bed sediment to the sediment within the water
column. Understanding the changing grain size distribution of bottom sediments in
comparison to directional transport (throughout the water column) should help determine the sediment fraction(s) being eroded or deposited, which could greatly improve
predictions of storm-induced morphology change.