Bar‐generating cross‐shore flow mechanisms on a beach

Abstract

Random waves normally incident on a dissipative beach induce a variety of cross‐shore flows, such as asymmetric oscillatory flow, wave grouping‐induced long‐wave flow, breaking‐induced turbulent flow, and momentum decay‐induced undertow. These flows are identified, analyzed and hindcasted in a set of laboratory experiments with the aim of revealing the role of each of the flow mechanisms in the two‐dimensional case of bar generation on a beach.