Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Generation of Cusps on Gravel Beaches: The Evaluation of Edge Waves and Self-Organization Hypotheses

海岸环境中海滩尖的存在或缺失可能被认为是近岸形态动力学机制的一种诊断。本项目将通过对竞争性假设的实证评估来探索砾石海滩海滩尖的形成机制。它们是驻边波模型和系统自组织模型。20多年来，大多数沿海科学家都接受了边波理论。最近的分析表明，自组织可能提供了一个更好的解释。这项研究的目的是获得必要的数据来区分这两种机制。现场调查将在爱尔兰的Malin Head进行，那里的尖头是常见的，沿着一段砾石海岸线活跃，条件有利于解决这一冲突。评价工作将需要测量和比较前海岸附近几个点的振荡洋流和水面波动、重复网格剖面、沉积物取样和沼泽冲升测量。通过这些努力，关于海滩尖的起源的争议可以得到解决。这项研究将扩大我们对几个突出的海滩形态机制的认识。

Wang, Jinkang U. of Southern California The presence or absence of beach cusps in a coastal environment may be considered as one diagnostic of the nearshore morphodynamic regime. This project will explore mechanisms of beach cusp formation on gravel beaches through the empirical evaluation of competing hypotheses. These are the standing edge-wave model and the system self organization model. For more than 20 years most coastal scientists have accepted the edge-wave theory. Recent analyses suggest that self organization may provide a better explanation. The research is designed to obtain the data necessary to discriminate between the two mechanisms. Field investigation will be carried out at Malin Head, Ireland, where cusps are common and active along a stretch of gravel shoreline, and condition favor a resolution of this conflict. Evaluations will require measurement and comparison of oscillatory currents and water surface fluctuations at several points adjacent to the foreshore, repetitive grid profiling, sediment sampling and measurement of swamp uprush. Through these efforts the controversy over the origins of beach cusps can be resolved. The research will expand our knowledge of several prominent beach morphology mechanisms.