Hydrodynamic variability on megatidal beaches, Normandy, France

Several experiments aimed at characterising the hydrodynamics of megatidal beaches outside the surf zone were carried out between 1990 and 1994 on the Cotentin coast of the Cherbourg Peninsula in Normandy. The database was established from the records of several electromagnetic current meters and pressure sensors and from field surveys. The mean spring tidal range on these beaches varies between 9.3 and 11.4 m. The results show the prevalence of strong longshore currents, with velocities up to 0.5 m s(-1), on the low- and mid-tidal beach zones. Mostly oriented northward, these currents reflect both a progressive tidal wave and a strong longshore gradient in water level between the Channel Islands embayment and the English Channel. While varying largely during a typical tidal cycle, these longshore velocities are maximum at high tide, reflecting the progressive nature of the tides. This high-tide maximum velocity increases by a factor of 1.5 between the mean tide and mean spring tide, and between the mid- and low-tidal zones due to bed friction effects. Cross-shore velocities are generally weak (<0.1m s(-1)), but sometimes stronger in smaller water depths. In the low-tidal zone, they are commonly oriented onshore at the beginning of the rising tide and offshore during the falling tide. This circulation results from a west-east cross-shore gradient in water level that is particularly important around the mean water level. Towards high tides. weak offshore steady flows were observed in the presence of waves. Site-specific relationships were defined in order to characterise the modulation of significant wave height by sea level fluctuations both on the shoreface and in the intertidal zone. The water depth variability during the tidal cycle induces fluctuations in the dissipation by bottom friction, resulting in wave height changes. The influence of tidal currents on the wave height proved to be very small in this context. The tidal fluctuations also influence the instantaneous near-bed currents induced by simultaneous action of non-breaking waves and the tides. During stormy conditions, wave-induced gravity orbital motions dominate the steady flows in the mid-tidal zone, outside the surf zone. At this location. the shallow water friction effect results in weak steady longshore currents, and low water depths explain strong orbital motions. The opposite conditions prevail in the low-tidal zone, where the steady tidal currents are stronger than gravity orbital velocities during a few hours around high tide. Outside this period, with the decrease in water depth and in steady current intensity due to friction effects, the tidal and gravity wave-induced currents have comparable intensities. In both the low- and mid-tidal zones, infragravity motions are weak outside the surf zone. The foregoing results show that outside the surf zone, these megatidal beaches are characterised by wave-dominated mid-tidal zones and tide-dominated low-tidal zones during spring tides. We suggest the term mixed wave-tide-dominated'' for these beaches with very large tidal ranges. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.