Surf Zone Currents. Volume I. State of Knowledge.

Investigations of surf zone currents have been conducted world wide for more than 60 years. The primary motivation has been to improve methods of understanding sediment and coastal pollution processes. This report Vol. I and a companion report entitled, Annotated Bibliography of Surf Zone Currents Vol. II are part of a major new study of coastal currents initiated by the Coastal Engineering Research Center in 1979. The two reports provide a state-of-the-art summary of theories and experiments investigated since 1967. The theories before 1967 have been included in previous summaries e.g., Galvin, 1967. Currents generated by short-period surface gravity waves both within and just beyond the breakers are of particular concern. The major types are longshore currents, nearshore circulations, rip currents, and wind-driven currents. Tidal currents are excluded. The study included the review of physical processes, theories, field and laboratory experiments, numerical models, and the measurement technology and instruments used to conduct the experiments. Related topics included are wave thrust radiation stress principles, wave setdown and setup, boundary and lateral mixing stress models, edge waves, wave breaking, and surf zone energy dissipation.