RESIDUAL CIRCULATION MODELLED AT THE NATIONAL UK SCALE TO IDENTIFY SEDIMENT PATHWAYS TO INFORM COASTAL EVOLUTION MODELS

摘要

A coastal area model of the northwest European shelf has been set up to investigate the coastal residual circulation in order to identify possible sediment sources and sinks around the UK, thus linking regional coastal geomorphic models to alongshore and cross-shore sediment transport pathways. This study investigates the sensitivity of the annual residual flux to more realistic forcing and wavecurrent coupling. Two contrasting UK case study sites, one in the northwest (Liverpool Bay) and the other in the southeast (Suffolk Coast), are analyzed in more detail to identify the vertical variability within the residual circulation to suggest how the transport pathways for suspended and bedload material may differ. This large-scale view provides essential information on likely coastal evolution trajectories as the basis for better informed regional management schemes.