You are here:
Tracer Studies In A Laboratory Beach Subjected To Waves
Citation:
Boufadel, M. C., H. Li, M. T. Suidan, AND A. D. VENOSA. Tracer Studies In A Laboratory Beach Subjected To Waves. R. A. Ferrara (ed.), JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Reston, VA, 133(7):722-732, (2007).
Impact/Purpose:
This paper reinvestigates the presence of two gradients, and focuses on the solute transport in the beach. Tracer studies were conducted in a laboratory beach facility using sodium chloride (NaCl), a conservative tracer, and monitoring its movement using electrical conductivity meters.
Description:
This work investigated the washout of dissolved nutrients from beaches due to waves by conducting tracer studies in a laboratory beach facility. The effects of waves were studied in the case where the beach was subjected to the tide, and that in which no tidal action was present. The following may be inferred: (1) waves created a steep hydraulic gradient in the swash zone and a mild one landward of it; (2) waves increased the residence time of a plume when they broke seaward ot it. They also created additional pathways for transport of the tracer to the beach surface; and (3) in the presence of a tide that completely covered the solute plume, overall, the waves increased the washout of the tracer from the intertidal zone of the beach in comparison with the no-wave case. The residence time of the tracer plume due to waves superimposed on the tide was estimated as 75% of that resulting from the tide with no waves. Discussion on scaling up the results and implications for bioremediation are also presented.
