Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans RESEARCH ARTICLE Observations of Time-Dependent Bedform Transformation 10.1029/2018JC014357 in Combined Wave-Current Flows Key Points: 1 2 3 4 5 • Bedform building is a time-dependent M. E. Wengrove , D. L. Foster , T. C. Lippmann , M. A. de Schipper , and J. Calantoni process especially important in combined wave-current flows 1School of Civil and Construction, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, 2Department of Mechanical and Ocean • The sediment continuity equation Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA, 3Earth Sciences and Center of Coastal and Ocean Mapping, or Exner equation can be used to University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA, 4Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, estimate bedform volume change 5 • Contribution of unique data set Netherlands, Marine Geosciences Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis, MS, USA of combined waves and current influence on bottom roughness Abstract Although combined wave-current flows in the nearshore coastal zone are common, there are few observations of bedform response and inherent geometric scaling in combined flows. Our Correspondence to: M. E. Wengrove, effort presents observations of bedform dynamics that were strongly influenced by waves, currents, and
[email protected] combined wave-current flow at two sampling locations separated by 60 m in the cross shore. Observations were collected in 2014 at the Sand Engine mega-nourishment on the Delfland coast of the Netherlands. The Citation: bedforms had wavelengths ranging from 14 cm to over 2 m and transformed shape and orientation within, Wengrove, M. E., Foster, D. L., at times, as little as 20 min and up to 6 hr.