The Feedback from a Beach Berm during Post-Storm Recovery and How to Improve the Berm’s Restorative Efficiency

Abstract

The efficiency of beach recovery during a time of moderate waves following storm waves is closely related to the interaction between dynamics, sediment, and the landform. The existing studies mainly focus on the description of erosion and accretion characteristics, while the response and feedback mechanism of beach berm sediment have not been elucidated. The main controlling factors of recovery efficiency are not clear. In this paper, field observation and the XBeach numerical model are utilized on the sandy beach in Puqian Bay, China, to capture high-frequency cross-shore data during the post-storm recovery period. The variation characteristics and rules of berm elements, including berm ridge height and slope on two sides of the berm ridge, are analyzed. It is observed that the berm constantly changes to adapt to dynamic conditions. Additionally, a correlation between volume change and certain landform parameters is proposed, leading to the identification of a new relationship in wave run-up. The new forum reflects berm influence and considers the berm ridge and berm width.