Modelling of sediment movement in the surf and swash zones

Under the action of marine currents, non-cohesive sediments evolve by bed-load, by saltation or suspension depending on their granulometry. Several authors have considered that the movement of sediment is bidimensional and modelized the effects of swell by a constant velocitynear the seabed. Here we have studied the velocity profile of fluctuating currents near the seabed and studied the movement of sediment in 3D. The results show that in the areas of study (surf and swash) the movement of sediment occurs in a volume, and the evolution of sediment varies from an areato another. The obtained theoretical profiles of the position and velocity vectors confirm the observations of several authors.