Contrasting geomorphological storm response from two adjacent shorefaces: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

Abstract

Shorefaces play a critical role in cross-shore sediment transport between the beach and inner shelf, particularly during storm conditions. A comparison and examination of storm-driven sedimentary changes on two adjacent shorefaces in Northern Ireland, located only 5 km apart, revealed significantly different geomorphological responses. The steeper shoreface at West Strand responded with extensive sediment deposition across almost the entire shoreface, in contrast with the more dissipative and quasi- linear shoreface at Portstewart, which mostly showed nearshore bar changes. Results from the two sites, which have similar wave/wind characteristics and seabed sediments, suggest that: (i) cross-shore morphology, (ii) immediately previous (antecedent) shoreface morphodynamic behaviour and (iii) the presence, or lack of, offshore sand appear to be the primary controls on storm- driven sedimentary changes attributed to the high-energy event.