The importance of wave-tide-surge interaction to coastal material transport and diffusion

This study is to combine a coastal high-resolution (2′×2′) two-way coupled wave-tide-surge numerical model (including 3 main physical mechanisms) with a material transport/diffusion model for understanding the law of material transport/diffusion. Results show that the law of material transport/diffusion driven by background current field simulated by the coupled wave-tide-surge model is different from that simulated by pure tide-surge, and more different from traditional ones driven by tidal current. The coupled background current should be taken into account for the simulation. © 2007 Science Press.