The Effect of the Wave Period on Dune Erosion

Abstract

Recent studies have indicated that extreme storm events along the Dutch coast are more severe than previously assumed. Particularly for the wave period significantly larger values may occur. Therefore, the safety assessment tools presently used for the dunes along the Dutch coast need to be reviewed. However, insight in the effect of the wave period on dune erosion is very limited, thus needs to be investigated. This is done first by carrying out small-scale 2D physical model tests. The results of a preliminary analysis show an increase of dune erosion of 25–35% for an increase in wave period of Tp = 12 s to Tp = 18.4 s. Next to the tests, a preliminary evaluation of the performance of two numerical models for dune erosion was carried out with the results of the tests. In the near future, the investigations will be continued with large-scale 2D physical model tests.