Abstract
How storm events contribute to long-term shoreline change over decades to centuries remains an open question in coastal research. Sand and gravel coasts exhibit remarkable resilience to event-driven disturbances, and, in settings where sea level is rising, shorelines retain almost no detailed information about their own past positions. Here, we use a high-frequency, multi-decadal observational record of shoreline position to demonstrate quantitative indications of morphodynamic turbulence - "signal shredding" - in a sandy beach system. We find that, much as in other dynamic sedimentary systems, processes of sediment transport that affect shoreline position at relatively short timescales may obscure or erase evidence of external forcing. This suggests that the physical effects of annual (or intra-annual) forcing events, including major storms, may convey less about the dynamics of long-term shoreline change - and vice versa - than coastal researchers might wish.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 77-86 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Earth Surface Dynamics |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Jan 2019 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geophysics
- Earth-Surface Processes
Cite this
Environmental signal shredding on sandy coastlines. / Lazarus, Eli D.; Harley, Mitchell D.; Blenkinsopp, Chris E.; Turner, Ian L.
In: Earth Surface Dynamics, Vol. 7, No. 1, 18.01.2019, p. 77-86.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental signal shredding on sandy coastlines
AU - Lazarus, Eli D.
AU - Harley, Mitchell D.
AU - Blenkinsopp, Chris E.
AU - Turner, Ian L.
PY - 2019/1/18
Y1 - 2019/1/18
N2 - How storm events contribute to long-term shoreline change over decades to centuries remains an open question in coastal research. Sand and gravel coasts exhibit remarkable resilience to event-driven disturbances, and, in settings where sea level is rising, shorelines retain almost no detailed information about their own past positions. Here, we use a high-frequency, multi-decadal observational record of shoreline position to demonstrate quantitative indications of morphodynamic turbulence - "signal shredding" - in a sandy beach system. We find that, much as in other dynamic sedimentary systems, processes of sediment transport that affect shoreline position at relatively short timescales may obscure or erase evidence of external forcing. This suggests that the physical effects of annual (or intra-annual) forcing events, including major storms, may convey less about the dynamics of long-term shoreline change - and vice versa - than coastal researchers might wish.
AB - How storm events contribute to long-term shoreline change over decades to centuries remains an open question in coastal research. Sand and gravel coasts exhibit remarkable resilience to event-driven disturbances, and, in settings where sea level is rising, shorelines retain almost no detailed information about their own past positions. Here, we use a high-frequency, multi-decadal observational record of shoreline position to demonstrate quantitative indications of morphodynamic turbulence - "signal shredding" - in a sandy beach system. We find that, much as in other dynamic sedimentary systems, processes of sediment transport that affect shoreline position at relatively short timescales may obscure or erase evidence of external forcing. This suggests that the physical effects of annual (or intra-annual) forcing events, including major storms, may convey less about the dynamics of long-term shoreline change - and vice versa - than coastal researchers might wish.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85060380520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5194/esurf-7-77-2019
DO - 10.5194/esurf-7-77-2019
M3 - Article
VL - 7
SP - 77
EP - 86
JO - Earth Surface Dynamics
JF - Earth Surface Dynamics
SN - 2196-6311
IS - 1
ER -