On bar growth and decay during interannual net offshore migration

Multiple bar systems often show a cyclic net offshore directed migration with return periods on the order of years. Generally, a bar is generated near the shoreline, grows in height and width, while migrating offshore before finally decaying at the seaward limit of the surf zone. Based on a three-year hindcast of a bar cycle at Noordwijk (Netherlands) and on additional synthetic runs using a wave-averaged cross-shore process model, this study identifies the dominant mechanisms that govern the bar amplitude growth and decay during net interannual offshore migration. The bar amplitude response is particularly sensitive to the water depth above the bar crest, h(Xb), and the angle of wave incidence, theta. These variables largely control the amount of waves breaking on the bar and the strength and cross-shore distribution of the associated longshore current. The longshore current has its maximum landward of the bar crest, inducing additional stirring of sediment on the landward bar slope and trough. The enhanced sediment concentration in the trough region shifts the cross-shore transports peak landward of the bar crest forcing bar amplitude growth during offshore migration. For increased h(Xb)-values wave breaking becomes less frequent, consequently reducing the influence of the longshore current on sediment stirring. Therefore, the resulting dominance of the cross-shore current results in a sediment transport peak at the bar crest causing bar amplitude decay. All four types of bar response (viz, all combinations of onshore/offshore migration and bar amplitude growth/decay) can occur for a single wave height and wave period combination, depending on h(Xb) and theta. Additional hindcast runs in which the wave direction was assumed time-invariant confirmed that h(Xb) and theta largely control the transient bar amplitude response. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.