Three-dimensional dispersion of momentum in wave-induced nearshore currents

In this paper we consider the circulation induced by waves breaking near a coast. We show that the vertical nonuniformity of the wave-averaged horizontal velocities leads to mixing-like terms for the horizontal velocity in the depth-integrated equations of momentum. The mechanism is analogous to Taylor's (1953, 1954) shear-dispersion mechanism for solutes in a shear flow. The results presented here are an extension of the results found by Svendsen & Putrevu (1994) to the general case of unsteady how over an arbitrary bottom topography. (C) Elsevier, Paris.