GENESIS-T AND REPRESENTATION OF TOMBOLOS

In the process of developing a model routine to represent tombolos in GENESIS it was

concluded that it was not possible to achieve this within the existing implicit calculation scheme.
Thus, it was decided to switch to an explicit calculation scheme. The benefits are that the model
now can handle the situation when the salient inside of a detached breakwater (DBW) or
composite groin (T, L, and other shapes) grows out to attach the structure and, thus, form a
tombolo. The drawback is that the model needs a much shorter time step to remain stable. The
implicit scheme can use about a ten times longer time step than the explicit.
General recommendation: When the simulation involves tombolos, the explicit scheme must be
used. If not, the implicit version should be used.
The boundary condition for representing tombolo formation at T-head groins and DBWs is
formulated analogously to that of a seawall in GENESIS as discussed in HANSON and KRAUS
(1986) and in KRAUS and HANSON (1995).

However, implementation of the tombolo

constraint is more complex because it includes wave diffraction, blocking of previously open
calculation cells, and transport of sediment on both the landward and the seaward sides of the
structure. The tombolo concept implies that the beach can reach the structure, but no further. As
a calculation cell makes contact with the structure, the transport rate into that cell is adjusted to
allow the excess sediment to remain in updrift cells. The procedure to do this must conserve
sediment volume and preserve the direction of its transport.
The procedure is illustrated in Figure 1, a plan view of an idealized beach protected by a Thead groin. In the figure, the x-axis runs along the main trend of the shoreline, and the shoreline
location, y, is represented by the length of each cell. Shoreline change at each cell is determined
by the net flux of sediment over its two shore-perpendicular walls. A net influx (gain) produces
beach accretion and a net out flux (loss) produces erosion. In this particular example a tombolo
has developed in Cells i+1 though i+4 during previous time steps.
At the updrift (left-hand) structure tip, a portion of the longshore transport will take place
inside the tip and the rest will pass on the outside (Figure 1). The routine to calculate this is
identical to the one applied at regular, straight groins. The sand on the inside of the shore-parallel
structure will be transported behind the structure by the diffracted waves (Figure 2). In this case,
this transport would cause the shoreline to move beyond the structure in Cell i. As this is not

Modeling of T-Head Groins: GENESIS-T

possible, the initially calculated transport Qi into Cell i will have to be adjusted to a value Qi*
(Figure 3) that will cause the shoreline yi to advance up to the detached breakwater but no further,
resulting in yi* ybi , where ybi is the structure location in Cell i. With the new transport Qi* now
leaving Cell i-1, the shoreline location in this cell will be adjusted from yi-1 to yi*1 . In this
particular case, only two cells were recalculated. In a general situation, the correction may be
carried through any number of cells until the criterion that the shoreline cannot advance beyond
the structure is satisfied in all cells. The adjustment is made to preserve sediment volume and
direction of sediment transport.
The portion of the longshore transport that passes outside of the structure tip at the updrift
side, will be transferred to the other end of the structure (Figure 4) and released to the cells
closest to the structure on the down-drift side. In this process, the sediment is assumed to be
distributed over a distance equal to the distance from the down-drift tip to the shoreline.

REFERENCES
Hanson, H., and Kraus, N.C. 1986. Seawall boundary condition in numerical models of shoreline
evolution. Technical Report CERC-86-3, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment
Station, Coastal Engineering Research Center, Vicksburg, MS.
Hanson, H. and Kraus, N.C. 2000. Representation of tombolos and sediment transport by tidal
currents in the GENESIS model. Proceedings 13th Annual National Conference on
Beach Preservation Technology, Florida Shore and Beach Preservations Association, 64-80.
Kraus, N. C., and Hanson, H. 1995. Discussion of: beach nourishment in presence of seawall,
by Dean, R. G., and Yoo, C.-H.

Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean

Engineering, 121(5), 272-274.

Modeling of T-Head Groins: GENESIS-T

Figures

Figure 1. General planform outline of schematic tombolo example.

Figure 2. Transport rate at updrift (left-hand) structure tip is separated into one part inside of the
structure and one part outside. Transport inside of structure causes excessive shoreline advance in
Cell i.

Figure 3. Chain of corrections to make sure shoreline location yi does not move beyond structure and
than sediment volume is conserved.

Modeling of T-Head Groins: GENESIS-T

Figure 4. Bypassing of sediment outside of the structure and its deposition on the downdrift side.