Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/osd-12-1711-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/osd-12-1711-2015
10 Aug 2015
 | 10 Aug 2015
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal OS but the revision was not accepted.

Technical Note: Medium-term morphodynamics in an unprotected sandy beach of the Adriatic Sea

M. Postacchini, L. Soldini, C. Lorenzoni, and A. Mancinelli

Abstract. In the recent years attention has been paid to the beach protection by means of soft and hard defenses. Along the Italian coasts of the Adriatic Sea, sandy beaches are the most common landscapes and around 70 % of the Marche-Region coasts (central Adriatic), is protected by defense structures. The longest free-from-obstacle nearshore area in the Region includes the beach of Senigallia, characterized by a multiple barred beach, frequently monitored during the last decades. The bathymetries surveyed in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 show a good adaptation of the beach to the Dean-type equilibrium profile, though a strong short-/medium-term variability of the wave climate has been observed during the monitored periods. This suggests a slight influence of wave forcing on the long-term profiles, which seems to only depend on the sediment size. Further, the medium-term dynamics of the submerged bars and their geometric features have been related to the wave climate collected by a wave buoy located 40 km off Senigallia during the analyzed temporal windows. An overall interpretation of the complete dynamics, i.e. hydrodynamics (buoy data), sediment characteristics (equilibrium-profile A parameter) and morphodynamics (bathymetric surveys), suggests that the wave climate is fundamental for the morphodynamic changes of the beach in the medium term: waves coming from NNE/ESE are characterized by a larger/smaller steepness and induce seaward/shoreward bar migration, as well as bar smoothing/steepening. Moving southward, the bar dimension increases, while the equilibrium profile suggests a decrease of the sediment size in the submerged beach, this probably due to the presence of both harbor jetty and river mouth North of the investigated area.

M. Postacchini, L. Soldini, C. Lorenzoni, and A. Mancinelli
 
Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
 
Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
M. Postacchini, L. Soldini, C. Lorenzoni, and A. Mancinelli
M. Postacchini, L. Soldini, C. Lorenzoni, and A. Mancinelli

Viewed

Total article views: 1,179 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
803 301 75 1,179 68 95
  • HTML: 803
  • PDF: 301
  • XML: 75
  • Total: 1,179
  • BibTeX: 68
  • EndNote: 95
Views and downloads (calculated since 10 Aug 2015)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 10 Aug 2015)
Latest update: 27 Mar 2024
Download
Short summary
The characterization of bar geometry and dynamics in an unprotected sandy beach of the Middle Adriatic is here presented. Coupling of climate and bathymetric surveys suggests that time periods dominated by waves coming from NNE, i.e. almost perpendicular to the coast, promote seaward migration, partial destruction and smoothing of the submerged bars. Conversely, periods dominated by waves from ESE, i.e. angled w.r.t. shoreline, induce shoreward migration, regeneration and steepening of the bars.