A convection-diffusion model for suspended sediment in the surf zone

Abstract

A model is developed to simulate the temporal and spatial distributions of suspended sediment in the surf zone. The model is solved numerically in a time domain and in a two-dimensional vertical plane. At each time step of computation, the upper moving boundary (water surface) and the velocity field are determined through the solution of a hydrodynamic model which is based on the Reynolds equations of motion. The sediment concentration field is then determined by solving the convection-diffusion equation of the sediment mass. The comparisons with laboratory data of various experimental conditions show reasonable agreements for the simulated wave field and the concentration field in the surf zone. Copyright 1997 by the American Geophysical Union.