Long-Term Pocket Beach Morphology at the Romanian Coast - Field Measurements and Numerical Modelling

Abstract This paper investigates the long-term morphodynamics of a designed beach near Constanta, Romania to assess the design approach. Field measurements, including bathymetric surveys and nearshore wave and current data, were collected from 2015 to 2020. The study utilizes the XBeach numerical model to simulate morphodynamics and sediment loss under various wave conditions. Results indicate that XBeach can predict sediment losses reasonable well and morphological responses over a five-year period, although certain phenomena like swash bar formation and erosion behind structures are not fully captured. Sensitivity analyses highlight the influence of parameters such as horizontal background viscosity, sediment grain size, and wave energy on model predictions of sediment loss. The findings confirm the applicability of XBeach and provide a first step to validate the model for this type of design applications.