Litdrift PDF

LITDRIFT
Longshore Current and Littoral Drift
LITDRIFT USER GUIDE
MIKE by DHI 2014

2
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4 LITDRIFT
CONTENTS
5
1 ABOUT THIS MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.2 Assumed User Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.3 Overview of LITDRIFT Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.3.1 Short Model Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.3.2 Application Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3.3 Computational Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4 Modelling Procedure, Step-by-Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4.2 Defining and Limiting the Subject of Interest . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4.3 Collecting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.4.4 Setting up the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.4.5 Calibrating and Verifying the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.4.6 Running the Production Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.4.7 Presenting the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2 EXAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2 A Simple Example: Refraction and Shoaling Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.2 Defining the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.3 Setting up the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.2.4 Checking the Model Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.2.5 Doing the Actual Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.2.6 Plotting Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.2.7 List of Data and Specification Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.3 More Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.3.1 Blocking of Longshore Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.3.2 Sediment Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.3.3 Storm Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.3.4 Transfer Wave Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.3.5 Influence of Wave Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3 LITDRIFT SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.2 LITDRIFT: A Short Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.3 Basic Equations – Longshore Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.3.1 Waves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.3.2 Wave Energy Spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.3.3 Wave Set-up and Set-down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.3.4 Flow Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3.3.5 Littoral Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
3.4 Basic Algorithms – Longshore Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
6 LITDRIFT
3.4.1 Discretization of the Hydrodynamic Parameters . . . . . . . . . . 70
3.5 Point Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
3.5.1 Sediment Transport Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
3.5.2 Integration of Transport Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
3.5.3 Algorithms for Annual Littoral Drift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4 LITDRIFT REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
4.1 Model Type Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
4.2 Hydrodynamic Conditions in Time Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
4.3 Selection of the Cross-shore Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
4.3.1 Selecting the Grid Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
4.3.2 Remarks and Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
4.4 Wave Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
4.4.1 Spectral Description of Waves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
4.4.2 Wave Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
4.4.3 Water Level Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
4.4.4 Wave Energy Spectrum (Profile PMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
4.4.5 Additional Wave Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
4.5 Current Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
4.6 Wind Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
4.7 Sediment Transport Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
4.7.1 Sediment Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.7.2 Ripples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.7.3 Sediment Calculation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.8 Output Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
4.8.1 Output for Longshore Current and Littoral Drift Calculation . . . 91
4.8.2 Output for Annual Sediment Drift Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.8.3 Output for Transfer Wave Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.9 Overview and Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.10 Running LITDRIFT in batch mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
5 LITCONV REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
5.1 General Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
5.2 Input Wave Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
5.3 Calculation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
5.4 Output Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
5.5 Overview and Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Appendix A Additional Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
A.1 ADDITIONAL READING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
7
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
8 LITDRIFT
Purpose
1 ABOUT THIS MANUAL
1.1 Purpose
The main purpose of this manual is to enable you to use LITPACK to
solve your hydraulic and sedimentation problems in coastal areas. As you
will need assistance on different levels, the manuals for the LITPACK
modules have been structured accordingly.
The present manual covers the description of longshore current and littoral
drift along a uniform beach with arbitrary coastal profile, LITDRIFT,
while the whole LITPACK modelling system covers a much wider range
of applications. There is a separate manual for each of the modules within
the area of application for LITPACK.
The present chapter gives you a short introduction to the module LIT-
DRIFT, the type of applications it can be used for and a description of the
assumed background of the user.
Furthermore it contains a step-by-step procedure which can be followed

when working on an application, or when writing a proposal. It is the
intention that by following this procedure, and by using the reference
manual, you should be able to get good and reliable results from LIT-
PACK, although a formal procedure is no substitute to common sense.
Examples (p. 19) describes a simple LITDRIFT application in order to

get you started. The “what key to press” procedure for going through this
example is given in great detail (what to select in the different menus).
In addition more complicated examples are shown. These have been cho-
sen to cover typical application areas of LITDRIFT within longshore cur-
rent and littoral drift calculations and sediment budget analysis. The
emphasis in these examples is on the capabilities and outcome of the
model (how the parameters are selected and how the results should be
interpreted).
LITDRIFT Scientific Background (p. 41) describes the theory behind

the calculations.
LITDRIFT Reference (p. 77) describes the parameters in the LITDRIFT

dialogues organised dialog by dialog in logical order. This is the text that
will appear on the screen when pressing F1 on the dialog pages for help.
9
About this Manual
LITCONV Reference (p. 95) describes the utility program LITCONV.

This is the text that will appear on the screen when pressing F1 on the dia-
log pages for help.
1.2 Assumed User Background

Although LITPACK has been designed carefully with emphasis on a logi-
cal and user-friendly interface and, although the manuals contain model-
ling procedures and a large amount of reference material, common sense
is always needed in any practical application. In this case “common sense”
means a background in hydraulics/hydrodynamics and sediment transport
which is sufficient for you to be capable of checking whether the results
from LITPACK are reasonable or not. Thus, although a Reference Manual
is included, it is not intended as a substitute for a basic knowledge of the
area in which you are working: Mathematical modelling of hydrau-
lic/hydrodynamic and sediment drift phenomena.
1.3 Overview of LITDRIFT Applications

1.3.1 Short Model Description
LITDRIFT is a comprehensive deterministic numerical model which con-
sists of two major parts:
z a hydrodynamic model
z a sediment transport model, STP
The sediment transport program STP is described separately in the LIT-
STP manual for non-cohesive sediment transport.
The hydrodynamic model includes a description of propagation, shoaling

and breaking of waves, calculation of the driving forces due to radiation
stress gradients, momentum balance for the cross-shore and longshore
direction giving the wave setup and the longshore current velocities. The
model can be applied on complex coastal profiles with longshore bars. In
the case of a longshore bar the broken waves can reform in the trough
onshore of the bar. The waves can be treated as regular or irregular, and
the effect of directional spreading can be included in the description.
It is assumed in the model that the conditions are uniform along the
straight coast.
Having computed the longshore current - by the hydrodynamic module -

points are selected which are representative for the littoral drift. The sedi-
10 LITDRIFT
Overview of LITDRIFT Applications
ment transport calculations carried out by the STP-module, are made to

reflect the local conditions with respect to the energy dissipation, the per-
centage of non-breaking waves and the ‘rms’ of the wave heights, cf. Dei-
gaard et al. (1986), /5/.
The total sediment transport is dominated by transport contributions from

areas where wave breaking occurs. The point selection procedure there-
fore gives preference to points in this area. In case of a bar-profile, the
sediment calculation points will thus be located on the bars where waves
are breaking.
This gives the distribution of sediment transport across the profile, which
is integrated to obtain the total longshore sediment transport rate.
By considering the variation on the hydrodynamic climate (e.g. the yearly

wind, wave, tide, storm surge and profile conditions), it is possible to
determine the net/gross littoral climate at a specific location (sediment
budget).
Important effects such as the linking of the profile to the wave climate, the
wave climate to the storm surge and the variation in sediment properties
across the profile are included.
1.3.2 Application Areas

LITDRIFT can be applied to the study of wave driven currents and long-
shore sediment transport of non-cohesive sediment on a long uniform
beach.
The assessment of the wave conditions - wave heights, wave periods and
wave directions - is essential for the estimation of the wave forces at a
shoreline. Another important problem in coastal engineering is the simula-
tion of the sediment transport, which for a large part is determined by the
wave-induced littoral current. The wave-induced current can be generated
by the strong gradient in radiation stresses which occur in the surf zone.
LITDRIFT can be used to calculate the radiation stresses, the wave gener-
ated longshore current and the longshore sediment transport rate.
A facility in LITDRIFT enables the user to calculate the annual sediment

budget for the location, based on time series as input.
Another facility enables the user to transfer the wave climate from deeper
water to a point in the profile or to obtain the conditions at a specific sin-
gle point in the profile for the entire time series with the purpose to calcu-
late the sediment transport later by the STP Model Type Multiple STP
Calculations.
11
About this Manual
1.3.3 Computational Features

The main features of LITDRIFT sediment transport program are as fol-
lows
z Deterministic Approach
z Local hydrodynamics for sediment transport
z Measured time series as input
z Graphics of results while calculating
1.4 Modelling Procedure, Step-by-Step

1.4.1 General
The purpose of this chapter is to give you a general check list, which you
can use when modelling applications involving non-cohesive sediment
transport using LITDRIFT.
The work will normally consist of the tasks listed below:
z defining and limiting the subject of interest

z collecting data
z setting up the model
z calibrating and verifying the model (if possible)
z running the production simulation
z presenting results
Each of these six tasks are described for a general LITPACK study in the
following sections. For your particular study only some of the tasks might
be relevant.
1.4.2 Defining and Limiting the Subject of Interest
Identify the Subject

When preparing to do a study you have to assess the following before you
set up the model:
z what is the topic for the investigation

z what are the “important wave and current phenomena”? The following
should taken into consideration:
– Shoaling
12 LITDRIFT
Modelling Procedure, Step-by-Step
– Refraction
– Diffraction
– Reflection
– Bottom dissipation
– Wave blocking
– Wave breaking
– Wind generation
– Spectral Wave description
– Wave-current interaction
The LITDRIFT module can handle these phenomena with the excep-
tion of diffraction, reflection and wave blocking.
z what are the physical conditions for the sediment transport? The fol-
lowing should be taken into consideration:
– Sediment size and distribution across profile
– Water temperature
– Sediment spreading
– Sediment density
z what are the bathymetric conditions?
Check LITDRIFT Capabilities

Next, check if the LITDRIFT module is able to solve your problem. This
you can do by turning to the Overview of LITDRIFT Applications (p. 10),
which gives a short description of LITDRIFT and an overview of the type
of applications for which LITDRIFT can be used, and by consulting the
LITDRIFT Scientific Background (p. 41).
Selecting Cross-Shore Profile and Grid Spacing

Draw up your cross-shore profile on a sea chart showing the area of inter-
est. The cross-shore profile should be perpendicular to the parallel depth
contours. The profile should have an extension, so the wave-driven long-
shore currents are insignificant in the first grid point. The profile is
defined from deep water onto the beach.
You have to consider the grid spacing of the profile. When bars are
present, the best results will occur when the single bar is described by at
least five grid points.
13
About this Manual
In practice the choice of the grid spacing is often a compromise between

low computer costs, storage requirements and high accuracy.
1.4.3 Collecting Data

This task may take a long time if, for example, you have to initiate a mon-
itoring programme. Alternatively, it may be carried out very quickly if you
are able to use existing data which are immediately available. In all cases
the following data should be collected:
z bathymetric data
z sedimentological data, which should be bed samples, samples of sedi-
ment in suspension, grain curves etc.
z water level data
z wave data
z current data
z wind data
z calibration and validation data; these might be measured wave parame-
ters in selected locations, e.g. significant wave height, mean wave
period, mean wave direction and generated longshore current.
1.4.4 Setting up the Model
What Does It Mean

“Setting up the model” is actually another way of saying transforming real
world events and data into a format which can be understood by the
numerical model LITDRIFT. Thus generally speaking, all the data col-
lected have to be referred to the spatial grid selected.
Bathymetry
You have to specify the cross-shore profile as a line series data file con-
taining bathymetry of the cross-shore profile. Describing the bathymetry
in your model is one of the most important tasks in the modelling process.
A few hours less spent in setting up the model bathymetry might later on
mean extra days spent in the calibration process.
Sedimentology
If the longshore sediment transport have to be calculated, the sediment
characteristics must be specified describing the local conditions across the
profile. The data is given in the line series data file containing the bathym-
etry of the cross-shore profile.
The most important parameter is the mean grain diameter d50.
14 LITDRIFT
If d50 ≥ 1.0 m, the bed is considered to consist of hard rock material, and
no transport takes place.
Depending on the way of calculation the fall velocity for d50 or the geo-
metrical deviation of the sediment at the location must be specified.
Generally, both items will be available from a grain sample analysis.
Some basic sediment transport parameters must be set in the model. These
have an effect on the size of the transport capacity.
Bottom Friction
The friction is specified as the local bed roughness across the profile.
The data is given in the line series data file containing the bathymetry of
the cross-shore profile.
Water Level
The water level describes the mean water level at deep water relative to
the base level of the coastal profile. This enables the inclusion of storm
surge or tidal data.
Wave Data
The wave data is specified by the spectral description of the wave field
together with the wave height, wave angle and wave period given for a
specific depth.
The waves must be described by either regular or irregular waves.

Dependent of the choice of spectral description some parameters must be
set for a description of the wave breaking.
Current
The additional shore-parallel current, i.e. not the wave-driven longshore
current, may be given by a specific current speed, depth and bed rough-
ness or by current speed at a reference grid point. A third option is to give
a slope of the water surface, describing the impact of a current parallel to
the coast.
Wind
The wind may give a driving force additional to the waves.
The wind can be described by wind speed, wind direction and the friction
factor or by the wind direction and the resulting wind shear stresses.
15
About this Manual
Time Series Data

If the annual littoral drift is to be calculated, the hydrodynamic input data
described above is gathered in a time series file, which describes a number
of events of wave incidents.
1.4.5 Calibrating and Verifying the Model
Purpose
Having completed all tasks listed above you are ready to do the first LIT-
DRIFT simulation and to start on the calibration and verification of the
model.
The purpose of the calibration is to tune the model in order to reproduce

known/measured conditions for a particular situation. The cali-
brated/tuned model is then verified by running one or more simulations
for which measurements are available without changing any tuning
parameters. This should ensure that simulations can be made for any situa-
tion similar to the calibration and verification situations with satisfactory
results. However, you should never use simulation results, whether veri-
fied or not, without checking if they are reasonable or not.
Calibration and Verification Situations

The situations which you select for calibration and verification of the
model should cover the range of situations you wish to investigate in the
production runs. However, as you must have some measurements/obser-
vations against which to calibrate and, as the measurements are often only
available for short periods, you may only have a few situations from
which to choose.
Calibration Factors
Running your calibration run the first time and comparing the simulation
results to your measurements you may see differences between the two.
The purpose of the calibration is then to tune the model so that these dif-
ferences become negligible. The most important factor in the calibration is
the accuracy of the data. Hence, in order to reduce the differences, you
may have to change the basic model specifications listed in Setting up the
Model (p. 14). The bed roughness is the basic calibration parameter in
LITDRIFT.
1.4.6 Running the Production Simulations

When you have calibrated and verified the model you can get on to the
“real” work - that is, doing your actual investigation. This will, in some
cases, only include a few runs.
16 LITDRIFT
1.4.7 Presenting the Results

Throughout a modelling study you are working with large amounts of data
and the best way of checking them is, therefore, to look at them graphi-
cally. Only in a few cases, such as when you check your bathymetry or
you want to compare simulation results to measurements in selected loca-
tions, you should look at the individual number.
Much emphasis has therefore been placed on the capabilities for graphical
presentation in MIKE Zero, and it is an area which will be expanded and
focused on even further in future versions.
Essentially, one plot gives more information than scores of tables and, if
you can present it in colours, your message will be even more easily
understood.
A good way of presenting the model results is using line plots of the calcu-
lated water level, wave height, wave angle, longshore current and long-
shore sediment transport.
For annual drift calculations a rose plot showing the transport contribu-
tions as function of different wave directions and wave heights give a
good overview of the sediment budget.
17
About this Manual
18 LITDRIFT
General
2 EXAMPLES
2.1 General
One of the best ways of learning how to use a modelling system like LIT-
PACK is through practice. Therefore we have included some applications
which you can go through yourself and which you can modify, if you like,
in order to see what happens if this or that parameters is changed.
A Simple Example: Refraction and Shoaling Test (p. 20) describes a sim-
ple LITDRIFT application in order to get you started. The “what key to
press” procedure for going through this example is given in great detail
(what to select in the different menus).
In the section More Examples (p. 28) more complicated examples are
shown. These have been chosen to cover typical application areas of LIT-
DRIFT within longshore currents, longshore sediment drift and annual
sediment budget analysis. The emphasis in these examples is on the actual
hydraulics and sediment description (how the parameters are selected and
how the results should be interpreted).
The specification data files for the examples for LITDRIFT are included
with the installation of LITPACK. For each example a directory is pro-
vided.
The directory names are as follows:
Refraction and Shoaling Test: coast
Blocking of Longshore Transport: blocking
Sediment Budget: budget
Storm Event: storm
Transfer Wave Climate: transfer
Spectral Wave Description: wavedescription
19
Examples
2.2 A Simple Example: Refraction and Shoaling Test

2.2.1 Purpose
The purpose of the present section is to guide you through the first exam-
ple of a very simple LITDRIFT application.
Please note that, in this section, words shown in boldface correspond to

input you have to type at your keyboard or to an item on a menu, while
words in italics correspond to entries in the On-line HELP.
2.2.2 Defining the Problem

This first fairly simple example has been chosen so that it is possible to
check the results analytically.
We want to investigate the refraction and shoaling of a regular wave prop-

agating onto a plane beach, generating a longshore current.
The test conditions are:
z The cross-shore profile has a uniform slope with a gradient of 0.01,

defined from a depth of 10 meter up to 2 m above mean surface level.
The roughness of the bed is assumed to be a constant of 0.004 m. The
orientation of the profile is 90 deg.N (shore normal).
z At 10 m depth the wave condition is defined by a wave height of 1 m,
the wave propagating from 60 deg. N and a wave period of 6 s.
z No wind nor tidal currents are present. The mean water level is set to
be 0.
Additional information required by LITPACK is:
z The grid spacing, which on the basis of the length of the profile is
selected to be 10 meters.
z The method of wave spectral analysis. In this case the waves are cho-
sen to have a Regular distribution with a reduction factor R(s) of 0.5.
z Whether to include setup in the calculations or not. In this example
setup is included.
Figure 2.1 shows the orientation of the coastal profile and incoming wave.
20 LITDRIFT
A Simple Example: Refraction and Shoaling Test
Figure 2.1 Orientation of profile and incoming wave
2.2.3 Setting up the Model

You start LITPACK by choosing the item in the MIKEZero environment.
A general model setup will then be generated and you are now ready to
select the requested LITPACK module.
Select Engines from the header bar and subsequent select LITDRIFT
activate the input dialogues to the module.
When you wish to select an item from any of the subsequent menus, use
the tab keys or arrow keys to move around in the Windows dialogues.
When you are satisfied with the entered values, press Next to save the
input and continue to the next dialog page. To get help for the items on the
dialog pages you are working with, you can press F1 at any time.
The Setup Selection dialog is the first dialog in most modules. This is
shown in Figure 2.2. In this dialog you have the possibility to import a
previously generated model setup.
21
Examples
Figure 2.2 The setup selection menu
You are now ready to set up the model (specify the input parameters for
the model setup and check the model input) and to run the actual simula-
tion.
First you have to select Model Type, see Figure 2.3.
22 LITDRIFT
Figure 2.3 Selection of model type
On the Model Type dialog you select Longshore Current. You accept
the input by moving to the next page by Next.
On the following page you have to specify the profile bathymetry, see
Figure 2.4.
23
Examples
Figure 2.4 Selection of cross-shore profile bathymetry.
Here you select the profile data file ‘simple.dfs1’, which is situated in the
directory containing the example. The profile orientation (Angle of nor-
mal to coast) is set by default as the orientation set in the profile data file,
here as 90 deg.N. Press Next to accept the values and continue.
The hydrodynamic parameters are specified on the Wave Description Dia-

log, see Figure 2.5.
24 LITDRIFT
Figure 2.5 Specifying the wave conditions
For this simple test you must enter the following options and values:
z Spectral description = regular

z Wave height = 1.0 m
z Wave angle = 60 deg.
z Wave period = 6 s
z Wave height- and angle reference depths = 10 m
z Mean water level = 0.0 m
Press Additional Parameters to enter an extra dialog to specify the
Reduction factor as 0.5 and to include wave setup. The default values
are already set so press OK to accept the values and Next to continue to
the Current Conditions dialog.
The default conditions for the additional current are already set to No cur-
rent, so just press Next to accept the input and continue to the Wind Con-
ditions dialog.
Again the default conditions for the wind are already set to No Wind, so
press Next to accept the input and continue to the Output Specifications
dialog. As only the longshore current is calculated in this example, you
don’t need to specify sediment transport conditions.
25
Examples
For the line series file containing the results you specify the name
‘.\coast.dfs1’. As the title of the output you may type Simulation of long-
shore current. Select Next at the bottom of the dialog to accept the input.
2.2.4 Checking the Model Input

As you have now specified the model setup, a summary of the whole
model setup are listed on the Overview Page, see Figure 2.6.
Figure 2.6 Overview of input and execution.
You can now use the vertical scroll-bar to review the input and check it for
logical errors.
You can save the model setup in an input file when you press Execute or
Finish. You will then be prompted for a filename in a pop-up dialog.
2.2.5 Doing the Actual Simulation

When you are content with the model setup, you can do the actual simula-
tion by selecting Execute.
When the job has finished (the time required will depend on your compu-
ter) you should check the file coast.log file. In this file the relevant input
parameters are listed and the resulting output data file statistic information
is given.
26 LITDRIFT
2.2.6 Plotting Results

You can use the MIKEZero Plot Composer to plot the results from LIT-
PACK.
In the present example you may plot the values of the angle between the
wave and coast normal, the significant wave height and the wave driven
longshore current, respectively, across the profile using a line series plot,
see Figure 2.7.
Figure 2.7 Wave parameters and longshore current across the profile.
upper) wave direction
middle) significant wave height
lower) longshore current
27
Examples
2.2.7 List of Data and Specification Files

The following specification file was used for running the simulation:
File: coast.dri (input parameters)
The following data files are supplied with LITPACK:
File: simple.dfs1 (cross-shore profile data)
Please note that in order not to over write the specification file, you should
copy it over to your own data directory.
2.3 More Examples

2.3.1 Blocking of Longshore Transport
Purpose of the Example

The purpose of this example is to determine the amount of material which
will be blocked by a groyne placed on a long uniform beach, with varying
grain size across a profile with bars, see Figure 2.8 and Figure 2.9 for pro-
file description.
Figure 2.8 Cross-shore profile bathymetry with location of groyne structure
28 LITDRIFT
More Examples
Figure 2.9 Mean grain diameter across profile
Defining the Model

A grid spacing of 10 m is chosen across the profile. The bed roughness is
assumed to be constant across the profile.
The wave height, Hrms, is assumed equal to 2.0 m at position 0. At the

same position the incoming wave angle is 45 degrees to shore normal. The
wave period, Tz, is set to be 8s. No external current or wind is assumed
present. Battjes & Jansen wave spectral theory is used.
The sediment transport was calculated by use of Stoke's 1st order theory
with a single grain diameter approach.
Longshore Transport Simulation

Figure 2.10 shows the longshore sediment transport produced by LIT-
DRIFT.
Figure 2.10 Distributed longshore transport across profile
29
Examples
The shaded area in Figure 2.10 shows the amount of material which is
blocked by the structure.
Figure 2.11 shows the accumulated sediment transport across the profile,
starting from the shoreline.
Figure 2.11 Accumulated sediment transport
From Figure 2.11 it is found that the amount of material blocked by the
groyne in this examples is about 0.08 m³/s of a total longshore transport of
about 0.11 m³/s.
List of Data and Specification Files

File: blocking.dri (input parameters)
File: torsmind.dfs1 (cross-shore profile data)
2.3.2 Sediment Budget
Purpose of Example
The purpose of the present example is to determine the sediment budget
for a plane uniform beach under the influence of a wave climate described
by an event duration.
30 LITDRIFT
More Examples
Table 5.3.1 shows the event duration as function of wave height and wave
angle.
Table 2.1 Event duration table. Duration of wave events are described as per-
centage of a year
H = 0.5 H = 1.0 H = 1.5 H = 2.0 H = 2.5

m m m m m
20 deg.N 5 1 0.5 0.1 0
40 deg.N 5 1 0.5 0.1 0
60 deg.N 5 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.05
80 deg.N 6 1.5 0.8 0.5 0.1
100 deg.N 6 1 0.5 0.1 0.05
120 deg.N 6 0.8 0.4 0 0
140 deg.N 5 0.5 0.2 0 0
160 deg.N 5 0.5 0.2 0 0
Wave 4.0 5.5 7.0 8.0 8.0
Period (s)
Defining Hydrodynamic Model

The cross-shore profile is similar to the one described in A Simple Exam-
ple: Refraction and Shoaling Test (p. 20).
The wave events only variate by wave height, wave angle and wave
period. All values for wave angle and wave height yields for the depth of
15 m. The spectral wave description is chosen as Rayleigh. All the wave
events in the event duration table are gathered in the time series data file
climate.
The sediment transport rates are calculated by use of Stoke's 1st order
waves with a single grain diameter approach.
Annual Wave Climate Description

The given input is described by an event duration table, formatted as a 2-
dimensional data file.
31
Examples
To construct the type t0-file climate containing the wave climate that LIT-
DRIFT requires as input the LITPACK utility program LITCONV is
applied.
As an additional option LITCONV can create a time series data file, which
is formatted specifically for a rose plot of the annual wave climate, see
Figure 2.12.
Figure 2.12 Annual wave climate. Rates as % of one year.
Annual Sediment Budget Description

Figure 2.13 shows the calculated annual sediment budget as a wave rose,
where the duration of each wave event is scaled by the gross transport.
The net and gross annual transport are about 48.000 m³/year and 105.000
m³/year, respectively.
32 LITDRIFT
More Examples
Figure 2.13 Annual sediment budget. Rates as % of annual gross transport

File: climate.cnv (input parameters for LITCONV)
File: budget.dri (input parameters for LITDRIFT)
File: climate.dt2 (annual event duration wave climate)
2.3.3 Storm Event
Purpose of Example
The aim of this example is to illustrate the variation of the longshore sedi-
ment transport rate during a storm event. The coastal profile from Block-
ing of Longshore Transport (p. 28) has been selected for this purpose.
33
Examples
Defining the Hydrodynamic Model

For simplicity the storm event is described by a time series with varying
wave height, wave angle, wave period and water level. All other hydrody-
namic parameters are kept constant.
For the transport calculations a “single” sediment description is used.
The wave heights are described by a sinusoidal curve with an amplitude of

3 m, whereas the wave orientation changes linearly from 190 degrees to
240 degrees.
The water level varies with the wave height by 0.1⋅H rms2.
The wave period varies with the wave height by 0.5 + 5⋅√Hrms.
The variation in wave height, wave orientation, wave period and water
level is shown in Figure 2.14.
34 LITDRIFT
More Examples
Figure 2.14 Time series plot of storm event. a) mean wave height, b) mean
wave direction, c) wave period, d) mean water level
Longshore Transport During Storm Event

Figure 2.15 shows the longshore transport rates during 50 hours under a
storm event.
35
Examples
Figure 2.15 Longshore sediment transport rates during storm event
As it can be seen, the transport rates increase by high wave heights due to
the relatively small grain particles in the deeper waters. Though, the effect
is diminished due to rise in water level.

File: storm.dri (input parameters for LITDRIFT)
File: storm.dfs0 (time series wave climate describing storm event)
2.3.4 Transfer Wave Climate
Purpose of Example
The aim of this example is to illustrate how to easily obtain information on
the wave and current properties at a given location in the profile.

The cross-shore profile and wave climate are similar to the ones described
in Storm Event (p. 33).
36 LITDRIFT
More Examples
Local Wave and Current Conditions

Fig 5.5.1 shows the resulting wave height, wave direction, current velocity
and water depth at point 150 in the profile, calculated by LITDRIFT.
Figure 2.16 Time series plot of conditions at point 150 in the cross-shore profile.
From top and down: Wave height, wave direction, current velocity
and water depth.
37
Examples

File: transfer.dri (input parameters for LITDRIFT)
File: storm.dfs0 (time series wave climate describing storm event)
2.3.5 Influence of Wave Description
Purpose of Example
The aim of this example is to illustrate how the choice of wave description
influence the resulting wave height distribution and longshore current
velocity.

The cross-shore profile is similar to the one presented in A Simple Exam-
ple: Refraction and Shoaling Test (p. 20).
The incoming wave height is 1 m and the angle of incidence is 30 degrees

measured from the beach normal.
The longshore current profiles are calculated separately for the four differ-
ent types of wave description.
Longshore Velocity for Various Wave Descriptions

Figure 2.17 shows the cross-shore distribution of water level, wave height
and longshore velocity for the plane profile with slope 1:100 for different
types of wave description.
38 LITDRIFT
More Examples
Figure 2.17 Cross-shore distribution og longshore current and wave height for
different wave descriptions

The following specification files were used for running the simulations:
File: RegWaveDescr.dri
File: RayWaveDescr.dri
File: BJWaveDescr.dri
39
Examples
File: SpecWaveDescr.dri
Please note that in order not to overwrite the specification files, you
should copy them over to your own data directory.
40 LITDRIFT
Introduction
3 LITDRIFT SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND
3.1 Introduction
The present documentation for programme LITDRIFT is made as a deri-
vation of the basic equations followed by a description of the solution
methods. Both sections comprise a description of the waves including
refraction, shoaling, breaking, and directional spreading (by reduction fac-
tor), a description of the wave setup caused by wave radiation stress, and a
description of the longshore current, i.e. wave radiation stress, wind, and
residual current.
The longshore sediment transport is calculated by taking the hydrody-

namic input parameters from the wave simulation and using the STP
model.
As for the scientific documentation of STP we refer to the manual for the
LITSTP module.
A short description of LITDRIFT is presented in the section LITDRIFT: A

Short Description (p. 41). The governing equations for the longshore cur-
rent calculation are described in the section Basic Equations – Longshore
Current (p. 43).
The numerical algorithms for the longshore transport calculation and

annual littoral drift calculation are described in the sections Basic Algo-
rithms – Longshore Transport (p. 70) and Basic Equations – Longshore
Current (p. 43), respectively.
Finally, a list of references covering the theoretical background in a

detailed manner is presented in the Appendix Additional Reading (p. 103).
3.2 LITDRIFT: A Short Description

LITDRIFT consists mainly of two calculation parts:
z longshore current calculation

z sediment transport calculation
The cross-shore distribution of longshore current, wave height and setup

for an arbitrary coastal profile, is found by solving the long and cross-
shore momentum balance equations. The longshore current model
41
LITDRIFT Scientific Background
includes a description for regular and irregular waves, the influence of

tidal current, wind stress and non-uniform bottom friction, as well as wave
refraction, shoaling and breaking.
The sediment transport is calculated by the Sediment Transport Program

(STP) of DHI based on the local wave, current and sediment conditions.
STP is a detailed intra-wave-period model which describes the time-vary-
ing distribution of both suspended load and bed load within the wave
period in combined wave and current motion, including the effect of wave
breaking when relevant.
The transport rates are found directly by calls to STP.
As a result LITDRIFT is able to give a deterministic description of the

cross-shore distribution of longshore sediment transport for an arbitrary,
non-uniform, bathymetry and sediment profile, as well as a detailed
description of the sediment budget.
The structure of LITDRIFT is shown in Figure 3.1.
42 LITDRIFT
Basic Equations – Longshore Current
Figure 3.1 Structure of LITDRIFT
3.3 Basic Equations – Longshore Current

3.3.1 Waves
In this section the incoming waves are described. The phenomena in con-
sideration are: Depth-refraction, shoaling, breaking, and directional
spreading. Finally the effect of directional spreading of waves with respect
to setup and longshore current will be discussed.
43
Refraction
The angle between the wave fronts and the coastline, a is given by Snell's
law:
sin( α*)L
sin α =
L* (3.1)
where:
L is the wave length,
* denotes reference point in the profile.
The wave length L is calculated explicit in each point. The expression to

be used is defined by the factor KL:
ω2 D
KL=
g (3.2)
where
ω is the wave frequency,
D is the water depth,
g is the acceleration of gravity
If KL > 1.0 the expression by Fenton & McKee, /6/, is applied:
g
Lo = ⋅T 2
2π (3.3)
2/3
 2πD 0.75 
L = Lo ⋅  tanh ( ( ) ) 
 Lo  (3.4)
where:
T is the wave period,
Lo is the deep water wave length.
44 LITDRIFT
If KL ≤ 1.0 the expression by Wu & Thornton, /9/, is applied:
2πD
L=
 K L ⋅ (1 + K L ) 
K L ⋅ 1+ 
 6 5  (3.5)
where KL is found from Eq (3.2).
Shoaling
In case of unbroken waves the wave height is determined by the conserva-
tion of energy flux along wave orthogonals.
H ⋅ c(1 + G) ⋅ cos α ≈ constant

2
(3.6)
2kD
G=
sinh(2kD) (3.7)
where c is the celerity of the wave (c = L/T).
Breaking
As a criterion for breaking a maximum of the ratio between the wave
height and the water depth is introduced:
H
γ = ---- , γ 2 = 0,8 (3.8)
D
For broken waves γ is a function of the distance from the breaker line, XB,
see Andersen et al., /1/, and Deigaard et al., /5/:
 
γ = 0.5 + 0.3 exp  - 0.11 X B 
 DB  (3.9)
45
Orbital Motion
The near bed wave orbital motion is of importance for the flow resistance.
The maximum near bed velocity is given by:
πH
Ub=
T sinh(kD) (3.10)
The amplitude of the orbital motion is:
T
a=Ub ⋅
2π (3.11)
The Radiation Stress Tensor

Consider a field of regular, uni-directional waves:
Figure 3.2 Definition Sketch.
The radiation stress in the direction, x1, of the wave propagation is desig-
nated S11, and S22 in the perpendicular direction, x2. Due to symmetry no
shear components are associated with these two main directions of the
radiation stress field.
46 LITDRIFT
The radiation stress consists of an isotropic contribution, Fp from the

excess pressure in the waves and a momentum part, Fm in the direction of
wave propagation:
S 11 = F p + F m (3.12)
S 22 = F p (3.13)
For Fp and Fm the following expressions are valid, see Svendsen and Jons-
son, /16/:
1
F p= ρ gH 2 G
16 (3.14)
1
Fm= ρ gH 2 (1 + G)
16 (3.15)
where ρ is the density of sea water, and G is defined by Equation (3.7).
Now S11 and S22 become:
1
S 11 = ρ gH 2 (1 + 2G)
16 (3.16)
1
S 22 = ρ gH 2 G
16 (3.17)
For shallow water waves S22 is one third of S11, as G equals one, and for
deep water waves S22 is zero, as G is zero. For intermediate depths S22 lies
between these limits.
For any other direction, x, e.g. the coast normal in the present application,
the normal and shear components of the radiation stress can be found from
the application of Mohr circles. a is the angle between the x1 and the x
direction.
47
Figure 3.3 Directional Variation of Radiation Stresses.
The normal radiation stress is given by:
S 11 + S 22 S 11 - S 22
S xx = + cos(2α )
2 2 (3.18)
and the shear component is given by:
S 11 - S 22
S xy = sin (2α )
2 (3.19)
It is this shear radiation stress which drives the longshore current. Outside
the breaker zone the energy dissipation is weak, and it can be shown that
the shear radiation stress is constant when the energy flux is constant.
Inside the breaker zone, the energy dissipation is strong, and the shear
component of the radiation stress decreases towards the shoreline. The
imbalance in the shear radiation stress must be compensated through the
bed shear stresses associated with the longshore current.
Irregular Waves
The model can be run with regular or irregular waves. For irregular waves
two different approaches are included in the present model. A brief
description is given below.
48 LITDRIFT
The Rayleigh Wave Height Approach

The Rayleigh wave situation is described as a series of regular wave trains
each characterized by its height Hi, and frequency of occurrence φi. All
wave trains have the same period and direction. The values of Hi and φi
are determined so that the wave heights follow the Rayleigh distribution,
with a root-mean-square of the wave heights equal Hrms. Each of the wave
trains is tracked across the coastal profile, which makes it possible to use
the empirical non-linear wave height transformation inside the point of
wave breaking for each wave train. The combined radiation stresses are
found by adding the contributions from each wave train. The wave and
wind setup is determined simultaneously with the tracking of the wave
train, so that the variation of the mean water surface elevation is taken into
account when calculating the shoaling and breaking of the waves.
The Model of Battjes and Janssen

The model is based on /3/, in which the local mean rate of wave energy
dissipation is modelled, based on that occurring in a bore and on the local
probability of wave breaking. The results are used as a sink in the energy
balance equation, which is subsequently integrated to obtain the wave
height, Hrms, as a function of on-shore distance. The basis for the statisti-
cal description of the wave heights is the Rayleigh distribution.
The wave energy balance equation for a stationary situation reads
∂
( C gx E) + E diss = 0
∂x (3.20)
where
E = 1/8 ρg H2rms is the mean wave energy
Cgx = 1/2 c (1+G)cosα is the group velocity in x-direction
Ediss is the time-mean dissipated power per unit area
Based on a bore analogy, /3/ applies following expression for the rate at
which the energy is dissipated due to wave breaking
1 1
E diss = α ρg Qb H max
2
4 T (3.21)
where
49
x is an adjustable constant
Qb is the fraction of breaking or broken waves
Hmax is the local maximum allowable wave height
α is the dissipation factor
Qb is the key variable in the formulation, and controls the rate of dissipa-
tion. The fraction Qb of the waves that are actually broken is given by the
number of waves which, according to the Rayleigh distribution, would
have been larger than the local maximum wave height. The Rayleigh dis-
tribution is truncated so that no wave heights exceed Hmax.
Qb is given by the transcendental equation
2
1 - Qb  
= -  H rms 
ln Qb  H max  (3.22)
and the maximum wave height is calculated by
γ1 γ2
H max = tanh ( kD)
k γ1 (3.23)
where k is the wave number, D the water depth and γ1 and γ2 are two wave
breaking parameters. γ1 controls the wave steepness condition and γ2 con-
trols the limiting water depth condition.
From Eq. (3.22) and Eq. (3.23) following limits appears
H rms
Deep water  -----------
-→0 and kD>>1  (3.24)
 H max 
H max γ1
Qb → 0 and ------------ = ------ ≈ 0,16
L 2π
H rms
Shallow water  ------------ → 1 and kD << 1  (3.25)
 H max 
H max
Qb → 1 and ------------ = γ 2 = 0,8
D
50 LITDRIFT
The model from /3/ has proven to be a good predictor for conditions with
irregular waves and rather complex bathymetries. A detailed calibration of
the model has been carried out in /4/.
Discussion of the Directional Spreading of the Waves

Instead of one wave field, consider two regular wave fields, with the angle
2θ between the directions of migration.
Figure 3.4 Combined Action of Two Wave Fields
Owing to symmetry the main directions x1 and x2 lie between the direc-
tions of the wave crests of the two wave fields.
Figure 3.5 Directional Variation of Radiation Stress in Case of Two Wave Fields
51
The radiation stress tensor for the direction x can be found by application
of the Mohr circle. It is assumed that the radiation stresses associated with
each wave field is one half of the radiation stresses of the uni-directional
wave field.
It can be seen that the radiation stress can be determined from a circle with
the same centre as before, but with a radius reduced by the factor R =
cos2θ, which thus also is the reduction of the shear radiation stress. This
reduction is rather strong even migration of the two wave fields consid-
ered.
As can be seen the shear radiation stress becomes zero when θ = 45

degrees, i.e. the two wave fields have orthogonal wave crests.
Figure 3.6 Spreading Factor vs. θ for Two Crossing Wave Fields
The Directional Spreading Function

The situation with two wave fields is a gross simplification, as the spread-
ing of the wave energy and radiation stress in nature is a continuous func-
tion of the direction.
A number of empirical directional spreading functions have been pro-

posed. According to /15/ one of the most commonly used functions is:
1
H( θ ) = cos ( ( α - θ ) / 2) )
2s
2π F(s) (3.26)
52 LITDRIFT
where θ is the direction relative to the main wave direction α. The func-
tion H(θ) must be normalised so that the total energy is still described by
the non-directional wave spectrum. The normalisation factor is given by:
Γ(2s + 1)
F(s) = 2
2 ( Γ(s + 1) )
2s
(3.27)
where Γ(s) is the gamma function. The variation of F(s) is shown in

Figure 3.7.
Figure 3.7 F(s) vs. s
In a natural sea state s (and α) is not constant, but can vary with the fre-
quency in the spectrum. The shape of H(θ) depends strongly on the value
of s, and becomes more peaked for increasing s. The shape of H(θ) is indi-
cated in Figure 3.8. According to Sand, /15/, s will typically lie in the
range 2-20. For natural storm waves s is often estimated to be about 8.
This variation can occur for the different frequencies within the same
spectrum. The directional distribution of the long waves is narrow (large
s) and the locally generated high frequency waves have a wide distribution
(small s values). The directional spreading around the peak frequency in
the spectrum will typically correspond to a H(θ) function with s equal to 5.
53
Figure 3.8 Directional Spreading Function vs. θ
For a narrow wave energy spectrum, characterised by s and α, the radia-

tion stress tensor can be calculated. In the following S11 and S22 are the
principle radiation stresses corresponding to a uni-directional wave field
with the same energy and frequency as the part of the spectrum consid-
ered. The shear component is given by:
S 11 - S 12
dS xy = H( θ ) sin(2( α +θ )) dθ
2 (3.28)
giving a mean value:
S 11 - S 22
S xy = R(S) sin (2α )
2 (3.29)
The normal component is given by:
 S + S 22 S 11 - S 22 
d S xx =  11 + cos(2( α +θ ))  H( θ ) dθ
 2 2  (3.30)
54 LITDRIFT
giving a mean value of
S 11 + S 22 S -S
S xx = + R(S) 11 22 cos(2α )
2 2 (3.31)
It is seen that the mean radiation stress tensor for directionally distributed
waves can be found by applying a Mohr circle with a radius reduced by R
compared to the Mohr circle for the uni-directional wave field with the
same energy. R is for the directional distribution function H(θ) given by:
F(s + 1) - F(s + 2)
R(s) = 1 - 8
F(s) (3.32)
The reduction or spreading factor R vs. s is depicted in Figure 3.9.
Figure 3.9 Reduction Factor R vs. s
As can be seen the shear component of the radiation stress is reduced by

about 50% for the value s = 5, which is relevant for the peak frequency of
the spectrum.
The reduction of the normal radiation stress, which is important for the
wave setup, is smaller. For α = 0 degrees the reduction lies between 12%
(shallow water waves) and 25% (deep water waves). For α = 45 degrees
the normal radiation stress is unchanged and for larger α values it is
increased.
55
Inclusion of Directional Waves in Model for Wave Setup and

Littoral Current
In view of the findings described above it is indeed relevant to include the
effect of the directional spreading of the waves in the simulation of wave
setup and littoral current. A reduction of e.g. 50% in the driving shear
radiation stress will give a reduction in the littoral current velocity of
about 30%.
There are three different approaches to include the spreading in the model:
z Spectral modelling. By transformations based on shoaling, refraction

and wave breaking the directional spectra are calculated in each point
of the coastal profile. This approach is chosen in /2/.
z Ensemble averaging. Based on directionality of the waves at the
boundary of the model an ensemble of regular wave situations with the
same averaged characteristics is constructed, each individual wave sit-
uation is transformed, and the relevant parameters are calculated by
averaging over the ensemble in the actual point.
z By general reduction factor. Based on the reduction factor R, given at
the boundary of the model, the shear and normal radiation stress tensor
calculated for uni-directional waves is reduced similarly. This
approach is used in the present model.
The first method cannot be combined with the present approach for treat-
ment of irregular wave heights in a reasonable way.
The second approach is directly applicable and expected to give fully sat-
isfactory results. The computer costs will of course be increased because
another dimension is added to the wave description.
The third method is the most simple and should give reasonable results.
The only problem arises close to the point of breaking, where the waves
with different directions will be breaking at different positions. As the
total driving force is the same, the effect on the littoral current is estimated
to be marginal.
3.3.2 Wave Energy Spectrum

The equations used to calculate the wave conditions across the profiles
correspond to the equations used in MIKE 21 PMSPRF.
Parabolic approximation Solution parameters

Different types of parabolic approximations are implemented in MIKE 21
PMS. These are:
56 LITDRIFT
z Simple model
z Padé's model
z Minimax model with varying aperture
The Simple model corresponds to the simplest type of parabolic approxi-

mation to the elliptic mild slope model. This model requires that the angle
between the positive x-direction and the wave propagation direction is
very small (<10°), otherwise significant errors will be present in the solu-
tion.
The Padé's model is an improvement on the Simple model, in that it

allows wider angles, up to ± 45°, between the +x-direction and the wave
propagation direction (see Kirby /13/).
The Minimax model is based on a minimization of the maximum error in

the parabolic approximation for a given aperture width (Kirby /13/). Thus,
there are different Minimax models for 10°, 20°, 30°, etc. Note that using
the Minimax model for 60° (for example) implies that you are using a par-
abolic approximation that minimises the error for waves propagating
within 60° to the x-axis. However, there can exist slight errors for waves
propagating at smaller angles.
Figure 3.10 shows an example of the influence of the solution parameter

on the calculated longshore current and wave height for a straight profile.
57
Figure 3.10 Cross-shore distribution of longshore current and wave height for
different solution parameters assuming monocromatic waves.
Boundary wave description

The type of boundary wave enables the user to consider or omit the effect
of frequency and/or directional spreading. The choice of wave type (regu-
lar/irregular, uni-directional/directional) has a large influence on the
results.
Figure 3.11 shows an example of the influence of the wave energy spec-
trum description on the calculated wave height, wave direction and long-
shore current for a straight profile
58 LITDRIFT
Figure 3.11 Cross-shore distribution of wave height, wave direction and long-
shore current for different spectrum descriptions assuming the solu-
tion method to be Simple.
Remarks and hints

The Pade's model usually gives reasonable results in most applications if
the wave angle is less than 45° measured from shore normal. Generally,
you should not use the Minimax model for very wide aperture angles (>
59
70°) in coastal computations, since the cumulative effect of the errors at

the smaller angles may become important near the coast.
As discussed in /12/ (Johnson, H.K. and Poulin, S.) results from MIKE 21
PMS may generate spurious currents (currents flowing in the upwave
direction) when using the radiation stresses to drive wave-generated cur-
rents in a flow model. These currents are due to inherent errors in the par-
abolic approximation method. Usually, the problem can be solved or
minimised by selecting the type of parabolic approximation carefully.
However, it may not always be sufficient in cases with directional waves
with a very large angle sector. Here it may help to reduce the maximum
deviation from MWD when setting up the directional energy spectrum.
Secondly, when using any parabolic equation wave model, one should
also be conscious of the possibility of “apparent” wave dissipation in deep
water, which may look physical as it drives a current in the correct direc-
tion. This effect is larger for the higher order MINIMAX approximations
/12/. The best way of minimising this problem is to select the parabolic
approximation that best suits the wave direction sector in the model.
3.3.3 Wave Set-up and Set-down

The wave setup and set-down is caused by shoaling, refraction and break-
ing of the incoming waves, as the change in radiation stress, ∂Sxx/∂x must
be counteracted by a slope in the water surface. The wave induced water
level variations are calculated by integration of the mean momentum bal-
ance equation, which reads:
1 ∂ S xx ∂b (3.33)
- = g(D + b)
ρ ∂x ∂x
where:
Sxx is the radiation stress normal to the coast,
b is the wave induced water level variation
ρ is the density of sea water,
g is the acceleration of gravity.
60 LITDRIFT
In case of additional wind shear the momentum equation reads:
1 ∂S xx 1 ∂b
- + --- τ cos θ = g ( D + b ) -----
– --- --------- (3.34)
ρ ∂x ρ w ∂x
where:
τw is the wind shear stress,
θ is the angle between the wind direction and the coast normal.
The wind shear stress, τw, is calculated by the wind friction factor, fwind,
and the wind velocity, Uwind:
2
τ w = f wind ⋅ U wind ⁄ 1600 (3.35)
3.3.4 Flow Resistance

In case of pure current motion the flow resistance is caused by the rough-
ness of the bed. For combined wave-current motion the eddy viscosity is
strongly increased in the wave boundary layer close to the bed, and the
near bed current velocity is retarded. The effect on the outer current veloc-
ity profile can be described by introducing an apparent “wave roughness”,
kw, which is larger than the actual bed roughness.
Several theories are available for description of the above phenomenon. In

the present formulation the theories in /7/ and /8/ are applied. The latter is
the most detailed as the instantaneous bed shear stress is calculated during
a wave period, while the former has the advantage to be easily programa-
ble as analytical expressions for the average bed shear stress are given.
Comparisons show that in case of dominant wave motion the two theories
give almost the same results, while in case of strong current, the flow
resistance is too low in the average formulation. This problem is overcome
by substituting the flow resistance terms with the usual friction factor for
pure current, hence the time averaged flow description is chosen. The
details of, and physical background for, this model is described in the fol-
lowing.
The Wave Boundary Layer and Friction Factor

It is possible to obtain a simple analytical solution because it is assumed
that the wave boundary layer thickness and friction factor can be deter-
mined by considering the wave parameters only, i.e. it is assumed that the
wave motion close to the bed is dominant compared to the current.
61
The wave boundary layer is the region close to the bed, where the wave
induced velocities deviate significantly from the free stream velocities.
According to /11/, the boundary layer thickness in the rough turbulent case
can be determined from the ratio between the amplitude in the near bed
orbital motion and the bed roughness, a/k. In the calculations the lower
limit for a/k is 2.0.
Jonsson et. al., /11/, gives the following explicit approximation for calcu-
lating the wave boundary layer thickness, δw
3/4
δ w /k = 0.072 (a/k ) (3.36)
The boundary layer thickness given above is defined for the moment when
the free stream velocity is maximum. In this context the variation of δw
with time is neglected.
The wave friction factor, fw is defined by:
2 τ 1 2
U fw = ----w- = --- f w U b (3.37)
ρ 2
where Ufw is the wave friction velocity, τw is the maximum bed shear
stress and Ub is the maximum wave induced velocity outside the wave
boundary layer. fw is a function of a/k. In /11/ is given the following
implicit expression:
 1 
1
+ log10   = - 0.08 + log  a 
4 fw   10
k
4 f w (3.38)
For practical calculations it is more convenient to use the following

explicit approximation given in Swart, /17/:
-0.194
f w = exp (5.213 (a/k ) - 5.977) (3.39)
62 LITDRIFT
The variation in the bed shear stress is found by assuming that the instan-
taneous bed shear stress can be found by use of the wave friction factor:
τ 1
--- = --- f w U 2 (3.40)
ρ 2
where
U is the instantaneous flow velocity at y = δw
y is the distance from the bed.
By this assumption the phase between the flow velocity and the bed shear
stress is neglected. This is, however, of minor importance because only
the shear stress averaged over a wave period is used for the description of
the mean current velocity profile.
The Mean Current Velocity Profile

The main idea is that the velocity profile is divided into an inner and an
outer region. In the inner region close to the bed the turbulence is domi-
nated by the wave boundary layer, while the turbulence in the outer region
is generated by the mean current.
The Outer Region

In pure current over a rough bed the velocity, U, can be described by the
logarithmic velocity profile:
U  y  30y 
= 8.6 + 2.5 ln   ≅ 2.5 ln  
U fc k  k  (3.41)
Ufc is the friction velocity and y is the distance from the bed, k is the bed
roughness.
If the current is superimposed by waves the velocity profile in the outer

region can still be assumed logarithmic, because the only contribution to
the eddy viscosity originates from the current, the wave motion being a
potential flow.
However, the flow resistance from the bed is increased because of the
presence of the wave boundary layer. The new shear stress must be found
as the average over a wave period of the bed shear stress from the combi-
63
nation of waves and current. The increase in flow resistance is taken into
account by introducing an apparent “wave roughness”, kw.
The velocity profile outside the wave boundary layer is now given by:
U 30y
------- = 2 ,5 ln  --------- (3.42)
U fc  kw 
Eq. (3.42) is thus identical to Eq. (3.41) with k replaced by kw.
The Bed Shear Stress

The bed shear stress from the current, τc, is found as the time average of
the instantaneous bed shear stress, τ. τ is found from Eq. (3.40), inserting
a vector sum of the orbital velocity, Ub sin (ωt), and the mean current
velocity Uδ, at the level y = δw.
Figure 3.12 The instantaneous velocity at the top of the wave boundary layer
64 LITDRIFT
In a horizontal x-z coordinate system with the x-coordinate in the current

direction the instantaneous flow velocity just outside the wave boundary
layer can be written (see Figure 3.12):
 U z   U δ + U b sin ( ωt) cos ( γ ) 

U= =  
Ux   U b sin ( ωt) sin ( γ )  (3.43)
For this purpose the angle, γ, between the current and the direction of the
wave propagation can be assumed to lie in the range from 0 to 90 degrees.
The shear velocity, Ufc, from Eq. (3.41) or (3.42) is related to τc by defini-
tion:
½
2 1 + cos2 ( γ )
U fc = τ c /ρ =  f w U b U δ 
π 2  (3.44)
It may be noted that only for γ = 0 degrees and γ = 90 degrees the average
shear stress vector will be in the same direction as the current. This side-
effect is discussed in detail by Grant and Madsen (1979). The maximum
angle between the two directions is approximately 20°. Although this
deviation may be of importance in some cases it is not found to have any
significance for the calculation of flow resistance for the littoral current.
The Velocity Profile

The apparent wave roughness can be found from the velocity distribution
given in Eq. (3.42), by expressing that the current velocity at the top of the
wave boundary layer is Uδ:
2 1 + cos 2 γ  δ 
Uδ = f w U bU δ ⋅ 2.5 ln  30 w 
π 2  kw  (3.45)
For the final calculation of the velocity distribution a single parameter,

characterising the current, must be known (the wave parameters are
assumed to be given), i.e.
z the velocity, U, at y = D is given

z the mean velocity, V, over the depth D is given
z the mean shear velocity, Ufc, is given
65
The Inner Region

The eddy viscosity distribution in a wave boundary layer without current
has been described by Lundgren, /14/. Close to the bed the eddy viscosity,
ε, varies linearly with the distance from the bed:
ε = κU fw y (3.46)
κ is von Kármán's constant (~0.40), Ufw = √τw/ρ where τw is the maximum

bed shear stress.
In pure current the eddy viscosity also varies as described by Eq. (3.46),
only with the current shear velocity Ufc inserted.
The evaluation of the resulting eddy viscosity in combined waves and cur-
rent is not straightforward. Swart, /17/, applied the plausible assumption
that the eddy viscosity should be added vectorially. This approach yields
correct eddy viscosity in the case of superposing of two currents. The
resulting eddy viscosity in the inner region is thus taken to be:
ε cw = κ U 2fc + U 2fw + 2 U fc U fw cos γ ⋅ y (3.47)
The bed shear stress due to the current is transferred in accordance with
the expression:
τ dU
----c = U fc 2 = ε cw ------- (3.48)
ρ dy
yielding:
U 1 U fc
= ln y + c
U fc κ U
2
+
fwU +2
2
fc U fc U fw cos γ
(3.49)
The constant, c, in Eq. (3.49) is found by requiring that the velocity distri-
bution close to the bed corresponds to the real sand roughness of the bed,
i.e. the velocity is zero at y = k/30.
The Transition between the two Regions

Above it has implicitly been assumed that the two velocity profiles inter-
sect each other very close to the top of the wave boundary layer, and that
the velocity at y = δw consequently is very close to the value obtained
66 LITDRIFT
from the velocity profile of the outer region. It appears that this assump-
tion is well justified as several calculations have shown that the transition
between the two regions indeed occurs close to y = δw.
There is a discontinuity in the eddy viscosity between the inner and the
outer region because the eddy viscosity in the outer region is determined
by the current only, whereas the contribution from the wave motion in the
wave boundary layer is significant. A discontinuity in the slope of the
velocity profile therefore also appears. This is, however, only a mathemat-
ical result with no practical importance.
3.3.5 Littoral Current

As mentioned in Section 3.3.1 the incoming waves are causing a shear
radiation stress, Sxy acting in a direction parallel with the coast. The
change in radiation stress, -∂Sxy/∂x along a normal to the coast is responsi-
ble for the creation of a longshore current. The current is opposed by flow
resistance from the bed and from the wave generated turbulence, and the
velocity distribution across the coast profile is smoothed by eddies caused
by waves and circulation currents.
The model for flow resistance is described in detail in Section 3.3.4 and
the applied formulas are presented below.
A resistance factor C is introduced:
V V
C = ------- = ---------------- ) (3.50)
U fc τb ⁄ ρ
D 1 + 4V/Y + 1
C = 2.5 ( ln ( ) - 1)
δw 2
(3.51)
2
2 1 + cos2 γ  D 
Y = --- f w U b -----------------------  2.5 ln  ------ – 1  (3.52)
π 2  δ w
 
where:
C is the resistance factor,
V is the mean velocity over the depth,
67
Ufc is the current friction factor,
τb is the bed shear stress,
ρ is the density of sea water,
δw is the wave boundary layer thickness,
Y is an intermediate parameter,
fw is the wave friction factor,
Ub is the amplitude of the near bed wave velocity,
γ is the angle between the direction of wave propagation and the cur-
rent direction.
In the present case γ can be expressed by the angle α, which is defined in

Section 3.3.1:
γ = 90° – α (3.53)
The wave boundary layer is found from:
a 3⁄4
δ w = k ⋅ 0.072  --- (3.54)
 k
where:
a is the near bed wave amplitude,
k is the bed roughness.
For the wave friction factor the following relation is applied, see Swart,
/17/:
-0.194
a
f w = exp {5.213   - 5.977}
k (3.55)
68 LITDRIFT
In case of strong current C is substituted by Cmax if larger. Cmax is given

by:
 30D 
C max = 2.5 ( ln   - 1)
 k  (3.56)
Momentum Transfer
The exchange of momentum is described by use of an “eddy viscosity
type” of exchange coefficient. Several mechanisms are active in the
momentum transfer, such as the turbulent fluctuations in the breaker zone
and circulation currents. The exchange coefficient is less important than
the bed shear stress, as its effects are more to change the distribution of the
velocities across the profile than to change the magnitude of the larger
velocities close to the breaker line. In the present formulation the expres-
sion for E derived in Jonsson et. al., /10/, is applied:
2
4a
E = -------- cos2 α (3.57)
T
in which a is the near bed amplitude of the wave orbital motion and T is
the wave period.
As shown in /10/, large variations can be allowed in the momentum trans-

fer coefficient E with only moderate changes in the longshore current as a
result.
Differential Equation for V

The littoral current can be found from the equation expressing equilibrium
between the following forces:
(i) Radiation stress,
(ii) Flow resistance,
(iii) Transfer of momentum.
The governing equation reads:
∂S xy ∂ ∂V
– ---------- = τ b – -----  ρED ------ (3.58)
∂x ∂x  ∂x 
69
Insertion of the resistance factor yields:
1 ∂ S xy V 2 ∂  ∂V 
- = 2 -  ED 
ρ ∂x C ∂x  ∂x  (3.59)
The boundary conditions are:
V = 0 for x = 0 (3.60)
V → 0 for x → ∞ (3.61)
In case of additional driving forces, the equation reads:
1 ∂ S xy 1 V ∂  ∂V 
- + τ w sin θ + gDI = 2 -  ED 
ρ ∂x ρ C ∂x  ∂x  (3.62)
where:
τw is the wind shear stress,
θ is the angle between the wind direction and the coast normal,
I is the longshore slope of the water surface.
3.4 Basic Algorithms – Longshore Transport

3.4.1 Discretization of the Hydrodynamic Parameters
The coastal profile is described by an array, which contains from 0 to N-
point consecutive points in increasing order. NEXTR is the number of the
last point read, which must be located on-shore.
The water level and setup calculations yield a new coastline, which is
located between points NLAST-1 and NLAST. The hydrodynamic param-
eters are set equal to zero inside the coast line. NLAST must be larger than
10.
The discretized coastal profile is shown in Figure 3.13.
70 LITDRIFT
Point Selection
Figure 3.13 Discretized Coastal Profile
The points selected for sediment transport calculations are stored in an

array along with a description of the position of zero transport, and from
this the actual hydrodynamic conditions at the given points can be found.
3.5 Point Selection

Of all the points in the coastal profile a few (minimum 10) are selected for
sediment transport calculations in order to reduce the computational
efforts.
It is chosen to select all of the points prior to the calculations as this gives
the simplest algorithm. The main purpose of the selection algorithm is to
make the best estimate of the integrated total sediment transport over the
coastal profile and to a lesser degree, describe the exact distribution of the
transport over the profile.
It is known in advance that the actual combination of hydrodynamic and

sediment models yields local maxima in the sediment transport capacity
close to the local maxima of the longshore current and close to the posi-
tion of wave-breaking. This is mainly due to two phenomena, which are
described by the models:
(i) the transport increases with the current velocity,
(ii) the maxima in the longshore current profile are caused by wave
breaking at low water depth, hence the transport is increased by
high bottom shear stresses and strong turbulence under the broken
waves.
71
In order to suppress small current velocities, V, the points are selected

according to the velocity raised to a certain power, as the transport capac-
ity increases non-linearly with V. From experience V3 is found to be appro-
priate.
The transport capacity increases by a decrease of the grain diameter. From

experience d - 3/2 is found to be appropriate.
The magnitude of the transport increases near the position of wave-break-

ing. Thus the relation between wave height and water depth, H/D, is
included in the analysis.
On basis of the above, the point selection parameter S is defined in Eq.

(3.63).
3
V
-⋅H
S = --------- ---- (3.63)
3⁄2 D
d
This definition introduces an extra option: parts of the profile may be

defined as non-erodible by introducing fictitious large grain diameters.
The selection procedure is outlined below, and the individual steps, (a) to
(f), are shown in Figure 3.14:
(a) Find global maximum and minimum, Smax and Smin
(b) Set zero points if | S | < 0.01 (Smax - Smin).
(c) Find local maxima in S and check if it is distinct
| Smax,L - Smin,L | > 0.01 ⋅ (Smax - Smin).
(d) Loop over profile to determine calculation points where S differs

more than (Smax - Smin)/5 from S at the previous calculation point.
(e) Determine extra points if the distance between two calculation

points is more than 0.1⋅NLAST.
(f) Remove excess 0-points if any.
72 LITDRIFT
Point Selection
Figure 3.14 Point Selection. The letters refer to the single steps of the selection
procedure and the figures refer to the point types.
3.5.1 Sediment Transport Calculation
Input to STP
At the points selected, the sediment transport rate in the longshore direc-
tion is calculated by the model STP.
The sediment transport model is called at the selected points with the local
values of the hydrodynamic and sedimentological parameters as input:
z Water depth
z Wave height, H
z Wave period, T
z Current velocity
z Angle between current and waves, δcw
z Broken/non-broken waves
z Bed level gradient
Mean grain diameter (and sediment spreading). Mean fall velocity (or
water temperature and number of grain fractions).
73
The definition of angles in LITDRIFT is shown in Figure 3.15.
Figure 3.15 Definition of angles in LITDRIFT
Irregular Waves
At the bed the wave period, T and the root-mean-square of the local wave
height, Hrms are used to determine the bed concentration, the near-bed dif-
fusion coefficient and the associated near-bed concentration profile.
In the surf zone only a fraction of the waves break due to the irregularity.
As in the case of regular waves, the effect of breaking or broken (in the
following denoted broken) waves is modelled by describing the produc-
tion, vertical spreading and decay of turbulence generated by the passage
of the front of a spilling breaker or a broken wave. The extra input param-
eters, wave height, Hdiss, and period, Tdiss, are introduced to reflect the
conditions in the surf zone for irregular waves: the turbulent energy from
the wave-breaking is calculated on the basis of H = Hdiss and T = Tdiss.
The representative wave period is described as
ΣT iφi
T diss =
Σ φ bi (3.64)
where subscript 'diss' indicates that only broken waves are considered.
74 LITDRIFT
Point Selection
The representative wave height is determined from the energy dissipation,

using a bore to characterize the dissipation in the passing wave fronts. The
dissipation is thus proportional to the cube of wave height, giving:
Σbi φ bi
3
3
H diss =
Σ φ bi (3.65)
This wave height and period are thus used at each location to characterize
the production of turbulence by passing broken waves. The turbulence
from the broken waves is time averaged.
Breaking Waves
To examine whether the waves are behaving as breaking or non-breaking
waves, the three different spectral wave descriptions have separate check-
ing routines. The following conditions must be fulfilled if the wave is
breaking:
dSxy
Regular description: > 0.00001
dx (3.66)
Rayleigh description: Hdiss > 0.0 (3.67)
Battjes & Janssen description: Tdiss < T/0.005 (3.68)
3.5.2 Integration of Transport Rates

After sediment transport calculation in the selected points, the transport is
interpolated and integrated across the profile. The transport is assumed to
vary linearly between the selected sediment calculation points.
The sediment transport capacity is transferred from solid transport into

volume by introducing the porosity:
1
Qs volume = ------------------------------------ ⋅ Qs solid (3.69)
( 1 – porosity )
3.5.3 Algorithms for Annual Littoral Drift

The annual drift is found by the contribution of transport from each of the
wave incidents occurring during the year.
75
When calculating the annual drift, the wave climate in LITDRIFT is

described in a time series file where each set of items describe the charac-
teristics of one wave incident and the bathymetric conditions at the time.
In addition the duration of the wave incident is given as a fraction of a
year.
Thus, the total annual drift Qannual is found as the sum of the contributions
from all wave incidents.
NSETS
Q annual = ∑ Qs ( i ) ⋅ Duration ( i ) (3.70)

i=1
where NSETS is the total number of wave incidents.
The definition of annual drift Qannual is provided that the total duration in
the wave climate file is one year. Otherwise the total drift is found per
design period (= total duration in wave climate file).
76 LITDRIFT
Model Type Selection
4 LITDRIFT REFERENCE
The information provided in the present On-line Manual is related, specif-
ically, to the use of the Littoral Drift Module of LITPACK, LITDRIFT, for
applications involving wave generated longshore currents and littoral
drift.
It is organised logically following the appearance on the menu pages.
4.1 Model Type Selection
Figure 4.1 Selection of model type
Longshore Current
This model type will give you an opportunity to calculate the cross-shore
wave conditions and cross-shore distribution of wave-generated longshore
current.
Longshore Sediment Drift

This model type will calculate the cross-shore distribution of longshore
sediment drift in addition to the results found by the longshore current
model type.
77
LITDRIFT Reference
Annual Sediment Drift

This model type calculates, based on time series as input, the annual sedi-
ment drift (sediment budget), or the total sediment drift within a design
period (duration of time series file). The total cross-shore distribution of
longshore sediment drift will be given as both net and gross transport.
Transfer Wave Climate

This model type calculates, based on time series as input, the wave condi-
tions at a given grid point in the profile. The type of output may either be a
wave climate time series file, applicable in LITDRIFT, or a time series file
of individual hydrodynamic conditions, applicable in LITSTP (multiple
STP events).
Figure 4.2 Definition of transport direction
4.2 Hydrodynamic Conditions in Time Series
Figure 4.3 Selection of wave climate time series file
78 LITDRIFT
Selection of the Cross-shore Profile
If Model Type 3, Annual Sediment Drift, or Model Type 4, Transfer Wave

Climate, is selected, you first have to specify the file that contains the
annual wave climate. The LITPACK wave climate file is described by a
time series file that contain 15 items describing the hydrodynamic condi-
tions. These items are further described elsewhere.
For creation of a LITPACK wave climate file, see the LITPACK Tutorial
manual, Appendix A: “Description of File Formats”.
Item 4 in the wave climate file describes a reference number for a given
profile. The maximum value in item 4 describes the number of profiles
used to reflect the annual conditions at the site. From this information the
profile dialog will request the profile file name(s) necessary.
4.3 Selection of the Cross-shore Profile
Figure 4.4 Selection of cross-shore profile
The cross-shore profile is described as a line series, and contains five

items The last three parameters describing the sediment characteristics
will not come in use by the model type Longshore Current.
Having selected the profile, the orientation of the profile is given. It is pos-
sible to change the angle for quick sensitivity tests, but not advisable. The
79
LITDRIFT Reference
orientation of profile follows the bathymetry (saved in the profile data

file) and cannot be altered without violating the physical description of the
profile.
Figure 4.5 Definition of profile orientation
4.3.1 Selecting the Grid Spacing

It is important that the grid spacing are selected to provide adequate reso-
lution of the bathymetry and the wave field under consideration. The grid
spacing must be of an order, so the surfzone is represented by at least 10
grid points.
4.3.2 Remarks and Hints

Please note that:
The depth given to a grid point represents not only the depth right at that
point, but the area surrounding the grid point.
Bed levels are specified as negative values when they are below datum
(covered with water) and positive values when they are above.
Calculations are only performed in grid points for which the total water
depth is larger than 0.02 m.
A good rule-of-thumb is to use a minimum of 8-10 grid points in the surf

zone.
80 LITDRIFT
Wave Conditions
4.4 Wave Conditions

On this dialog you specify the wave conditions.
Figure 4.6 Specification of wave conditions
4.4.1 Spectral Description of Waves

The model is applicable with the following three uni-directional wave
descriptions:
Regular Waves
(Type 1)
Irregular Waves, Rayleigh Distribution

The waves are described as a series of regular wave trains each charac-
terized by the wave height and frequency of occurrence. The wave
heights are Rayleigh distributed and the wave period is fixed. Each
wave train is tracked across the coastal profile similar to the regular
waves.(Type 2)
Irregular Waves, Battjes and Janssen Approach

The statistical description of the wave heights is a truncated Rayleigh
distribution where the upper bound is the local maximum wave height.
The mean wave energy balance equation is applied to calculated the
81
LITDRIFT Reference
rms-value of the wave heights across the coastal/beach profile. The

wave period is fixed.(Type 3)
NOTE: The use of Battjes and Janssen demands longer profiles as the
wave-breaking in theory starts at deeper waters.
Furthermore it is possible to use the wave energy spectrum approach, cor-

responding to the Profile PMS model.
Wave Energy Spectrum description (Profile PMS)

The waves are described through the distribution of wave energy with
frequency and/or direction. For irregular waves and/or waves with
directional spreading a separate .dfs2-file containing the distribution of
wave energy is needed.(Type 4)
NOTE: The calculations of the hydrodynamics in this option correspond

to the calculations carried out in the profile version of MIKE 21 PMS. As
a result the required wave energy spectrum file should be prepared using
the MIKE 21 Tool Generate Wave Energy Spectrum.
4.4.2 Wave Parameters
Wave Direction and Reference Depth

You specify the direction of wave incidence relative to true North (posi-
tive when measured clockwise), see Figure 4.7.
Figure 4.7 Definition of wave angle
The corresponding reference depth is the one at which the value of the
wave angle is defined. The reference depth is positive and measured rela-
tive to the base level for the coastal profile. It is preferable that the refer-
82 LITDRIFT
Wave Conditions
ence depth is larger than or equal to the deepest point in the coastal profile.
The actual water level will be added to the reference depth in refraction
calculations.
Wave Height and Reference Depth

The wave height is given by H for regular/monocromatic waves or Hrms
for irregular waves.
The corresponding reference depth at which the value of the wave height
has been specified must be defined. The reference depth is positive and
measured relative to the base level of the coastal profile. It is preferable
that the reference depth is larger than or equal to the deepest position in
the coastal profile. The actual water level will be added to the reference
depth in refraction and shoaling calculations.
Wave Period
The wave period is given by Tz or Tp, dependent on the choice of wave
description.
For Battjes & Janssen waves the peak period Tp is given, for Regular or
Rayleigh Spectral description the zero-crossing period Tz is applied.
4.4.3 Water Level Description

The water level describes the mean water level at deep water relative to
the base level for the coastal profile.
The actual water level elevation across the profile will be varying if the
wave setup is included in the calculations, see Additional Wave Parame-
ters (p. 85)
4.4.4 Wave Energy Spectrum (Profile PMS)

On this dialog you specify the parameters for the incident wave.
83
LITDRIFT Reference
Figure 4.8 Definition of wave energy spectrum parameters
Type of boundary waves

The type enables the user to consider or omit the effect of frequency
and/or directional spreading. The Reduction Factor R is not used in the
calculations when describing the waves by the Wave Energy Spec-
trum/Profile PMS model.
Solution coefficient
The solution coefficient defines the parabolic approximations that are
implemented in MIKE 21 PMS.
Table 4.1 Definition of solution coefficient
Solution coefficient Parabolic approximation model

1 Simple
2 Padé
3 Minimax 10 deg.
4 Minimax 20 deg.
5 Minimax 30 deg.
6 Minimax 40 deg.
7 Minimax 50 deg.
8 Minimax 60 deg.
9 Minimax 70 deg.
10 Minimax 80 deg.
11 Minimax 90 deg.
The different types of models are further described in the scientific back-
ground, see section 3.3.2
84 LITDRIFT
Wave Conditions
Wave Energy Spectrum file

This file is needed when the waves are either irregular or directionally dis-
tributed (or both).
The .dfs2 data file has to be prepared using the MIKE 21 Tool Generate
Wave Energy Spectrum.
4.4.5 Additional Wave Parameters

On this dialog you specify some additional wave parameters. Usually the
default parameters are OK.
Figure 4.9 Definition of additional wave parameters
Reduction Factor
The reduction factor R represents the decrease in radiation stresses due to
the directional spreading of the approaching waves. 0.8 represents a uni-
directional sea, 0.35 represents a complex directional sea while 0.5 is a
typical value.
Wave Setup
With wave setup calculations included, the mean water level in a given
point is calculated by a cross-shore momentum balance starting from the
boundary condition water level (given under level, see above). With wave
setup calculations excluded the mean water level in any point corresponds
to the mean water level at deep water.
Number of Waves
For Rayleigh distributed waves this value is the number of irregular wave
trains calculated.
85
LITDRIFT Reference
Dissipation Factor
The dissipation factor α is a scale-parameter for the energy dissipation in
the rollor compared to that in a hydraulic jump (i.e. amount of waves
breaking).
Breaking Parameter 1
This parameter controls the breaking due to wave steepness condition.
Breaking Parameter 2
This parameter controls the breaking due to limiting water depth condi-
tion.
4.5 Current Conditions

In this dialog you have the option to give the characteristics for a constant
additional current, independent of wave conditions, running parallel with
the coast. See Figure 4.11 for definition of current direction.
Figure 4.10 Specification of Current Conditions
The current conditions can be described in 4 ways:
z No current (current description type 0)
86 LITDRIFT
Wind Conditions
z The current is described by the depth integrated velocity at a given

water depth and with a given roughness (current description type 1).
z The current is described by the depth integrated velocity at a given grid
point in the coastal cross-shore profile (current description type 2).
The actual depth and roughness will then be obtained from the line
series file containing the profile information.
z The current is described by a gradient of the water surface imposing

additional forces to the wave driven currents (current description type
3).
If the current is described by the depth integrated velocity, LITDRIFT will
calculate the corresponding gradient of the water surface automatically.
Figure 4.11 Definition of current direction
4.6 Wind Conditions

In addition to the waves and current the wind may contribute to the total
current pattern by a driving force due to the wind shear stress.
87
LITDRIFT Reference
Figure 4.12 Specification of wind conditions
The wind condition may be described in three ways:
1 No additional wind shear stress (wind description type 0).

2 The wind shear stress described by wind speed, wind direction and
wind friction factor. The actual wind shear stress will then be calcu-
lated by the wind speed and friction factor (wind description type 1).
3 The wind shear stress and the wind direction (wind description type 2).
The wind direction is defined analogue to the wave direction, see
Figure 4.7.
The additional wind shear stress will influence the computations for the
water surface setup and the longshore current.
4.7 Sediment Transport Conditions

If the model type Longshore Sediment Drift or Annual Sediment Drift has
been chosen the conditions for calculating the sediment drift must be
given.
88 LITDRIFT
Sediment Transport Conditions
Figure 4.13 Specification of sediment properties
4.7.1 Sediment Description

The sediment drift calculation may be carried and based on either a “uni-
form” grain description or a “graded” grain description.
z By the uniform sediment description the sediment drift calculations

will be based on the mean grain diameter d50 and mean fall velocity, as
given in the profile file.
z By the graded sediment description the sediment drift calculations will
be based on the size of the grains that actually have the possibility to
come into suspension.
The grains will be divided into a number of fractions, each described
by a representative grain diameter. The calculation of these are based
on a log-normal grain curve characterized by the mean grain diameter
d50 and the sediment spreading given in the profile. The fall velocity
for each of the representative grain diameters is calculated based on the
water temperature.
Relative Sediment Density

The relative sediment density, i.e. the density of the sediment relative to
the water, is by default set to 2.65, corresponding to quartz sand. The
parameter should be changed if the bed consists of heavy minerals.
89
LITDRIFT Reference
Porosity
The sediment porosity controls the output as the sediment drift from LIT-
DRIFT are given in volume.
4.7.2 Ripples
The effect of ripples on the bed on the bed shear stresses may be included.
The four constants C1, C2, C3 and C4 are for assessing the dimensions
and the effect of wave ripples, if any. It is normally not recommended to
change the default values.
4.7.3 Sediment Calculation Parameters

In this dialog you specify values relating to the calculation of the sediment
drift and theoretical interpretation of same. Usually the default parameters
are OK.
Figure 4.14 Definition of additional sediment parameters
Critical Shields Parameter

The critical dimensionless Shields Parameter is normally found in the
range 0.04-0.06.
Wave Theory
It is possible to select what wave theory should be followed when calcu-
lating the orbital wave motion.
Calculation Parameters
The calculation parameters reflects the accuracy of the calculation. The
tolerance and maximum no. of periods are used for the iterative calcula-
90 LITDRIFT
Output Specifications
tion of the sediment transport profile. The number of steps per period
reflects the deterministic intra-period approach.
Convective Terms
The effect of streaming may be included or excluded.
Bed Concentration
The bed concentration may be determined by a deterministic approach or
by an empirical formula, /18/, (Zyserman & Fredsøe 1994).
4.8 Output Specifications

On this dialog you specify the output data file(s). The output data depend
on the model type.
Figure 4.15 Specification of the output data file(s).
4.8.1 Output for Longshore Current and Littoral Drift Calculation

The output data file is described by the file name. A title to be written in
the output data file can describe the contents.
91
LITDRIFT Reference
4.8.2 Output for Annual Sediment Drift Calculation

The basic output data file is described by the file name. A title to be writ-
ten in the output data file can describe the contents.
Additionally, it is possible to have a time series as output, which is special

designed for Waverose-plots. From this you may show the littoral trans-
port as function of wave height, wave angle, wave period, velocity and
water level in a rose plot.
4.8.3 Output for Transfer Wave Climate
Output Data
Type of Time Series Output

STP Time series saves the result in a time series file which is formatted
especially for LITSTP, multiple events. LITDRIFT Time series saves the
result in a standard wave climate time series which may be used as input
to LITDRIFT.
The values are found from the results in the specified grid point number.
4.9 Overview and Simulation
Overview
A summary of the input parameters for the model is listed in the grayed
window. You can use the vertical scroll-bar to review the input and check
it for logical errors.
Execute
This button activates the actual simulation of the model setup. If the input
parameters have been changed, an input file name is asked for beforehand.
4.10 Running LITDRIFT in batch mode

If you have a number of runs to be executed in a row you might run the
model setup's in batch mode. The procedure is as follows:
z Prepare you specification files (PFS-files) for your runs, ie. files with
extension .litdrift
92 LITDRIFT
Running LITDRIFT in batch mode
z prepare a runDRIFT.bat file (the filename needs to have the extension

.bat) in a text editor. The bat-file should include the following line for
each specification file:
start /w Mzlaunch.exe -x filename.litdrift
z Type runDRIFT.bat in a DOS-prompt or simple click on the text file in
your windows file manager
Following this procedure your runs will be executed in a row as described
in the runDRIFT.bat file.
93
LITDRIFT Reference
94 LITDRIFT
General Description
5 LITCONV REFERENCE
The information provided in the present On-line Manual is related, specif-
ically, to the use of the utility program in LITPACK, LITCONV, for con-
verting LITPACK wave climates into time series of one or several years.
It is organised logically following the appearance on the menu pages after

a general description of the model.
5.1 General Description

LITDRIFT and LITLINE require a specific formatted time series data file
to describe the wave climate. Sometimes the given wave data is very com-
prehensive and will cause long calculation times. Sometimes data is sparse
and maybe given in a matrix format.
With the LITCONV Utility program you may process a LITPACK wave
climate data file (time series or 2-dimensional description) and generate a
standard LITPACK wave climate time series data file to meet your spe-
cific requirement.
Optionally a pseudo time series data file may be generated for the purpose
of plotting the result using the Wave Rose plot utility in the MIKEZero
plot composer.
It is assumed that the design period in the input wave climate describe a
period of one year (i.e. the sum of all the durations is 100). If not, the term
“yearly wave climate” will not be valid but stand for the time duration
covered by the wave climate.
For creation of a LITPACK wave climate file, see the LITPACK Tutorial
manual, Appendix A: “Description of File Formats”.
95
LITCONV Reference
5.2 Input Wave Climate
Figure 5.1 Selection of input wave climate
Time Series Wave Climate

This file type describes the wave events one by one in the time series. The
file will already be formatted to be applied in LITDRIFT and LITLINE.
Event Duration Wave Climate

This file type describes the wave climate by an array, where the wave
properties and duration of all events are described using a combination of
wave height and wave angle (H,α). Wave climates are often documented
this way as number arrays or wave roses.
Dependent on the file type the file name for the wave climate must be
defined.
96 LITDRIFT
Calculation Parameters
5.3 Calculation Parameters
Figure 5.2 Select method of transformation
Repetition Factor
The set of wave data in the input climate file is repeated N times in the
output data file. The duration for each event depends on the method of
transformation.
Method of Transformation
The wave data may be transformed in two ways:
1 1 year wave climate

The wave data is repeated N times. At the same time the duration of
each wave incident is reduced by a factor of N to keep the total dura-
tion the same as initially.
2 N year wave climate

The wave data is repeated N times, without changing the duration of
each event.
In case of an event duration input file, the wave events in the output file
are ordered according to the size of the wave height, beginning with the
smallest waves.
97
LITCONV Reference
This order may exaggerate the effect of the individual wave event if the
time series file is used for coastline evolution. To avoid this, N should be
chosen so that the duration of the storm wave events is in correspondence
with observations at the site of investigation.
Limiting Wave Height

The limiting wave height, Hmin, defines the smallest wave height which is
to be considered in a LITDRIFT calculation. Calm conditions are then
defined as H < Hmin.
All events for which H < Hmin will be omitted from the output time series
data file. To keep the total duration constant, the total duration of calm
events is given as one single wave event in the end of the output data file,
where the wave height is set to 0.009m.
5.4 Output Specifications

On this dialog you specify the output data file(s). The output data depend
on the model type.
Figure 5.3 Specification of the output data file(s).
98 LITDRIFT
Overview and Simulation
Output of Time Series Wave Climate

This file can be used as input wave climate in LITDRIFT and LITLINE.
Output of Pseudo Time Series File for Rose Plotting

Additionally, it is possible to have a time series as output, which is special
designed for Waverose-plots. From this you may show the importance
between different properties in the wave climate on basis of the duration
of each class of events.
The wave rose plot can thus be used to generate the common description a
a wave climate by the combinations of wave height, wave angle and dura-
tion.
5.5 Overview and Simulation

Overview
A summary of the input parameters for the model is listed in the grayed
window. You can use the vertical scroll-bar to review the input and check
it for logical errors.
Execute
This button activates the actual simulation of the model setup. If the input
parameters have been changed, an input file name is asked for beforehand.
99
LITCONV Reference
100 LITDRIFT
APPENDIX A
Additional Reading
101
102 LITDRIFT
A.1 ADDITIONAL READING
/1/ Andersen, O.H., and Fredsøe, J.(1983): Transport of Suspended
Sediment along the Coast. Progress Report No. 59, ISVA, Technical
University of Denmark.
/2/ Battjes, J.A.(1974): Computation of Set-Up, Longshore Currents,

Run-Up and Overtopping due to Wind-Generated Waves. Delft
Technische Hogeschool.
/3/ Battjes, J.A., and J.P.F.M. Janssen (1978) Energy Loss and Set-Up
due to Breaking of Random Waves. Proc. of the 16th Int. Conf. on
Coastal Eng. pp. 569-587, Hamburg.
/4/ Battjes, J.A., and Stive, M.F. (1985) Calibration and Vertification of
a Dissipative Model for Random Breaking Waves. J. of Geophys.
Res., 90:9159-67, September.
/5/ Deigaard, R., Fredsøe, J., and Brøker Hedegaard, I. (1986) Mathe-
matical Model for Littoral Drift. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal
and Ocean Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 112, No. 3, pp. 351-369.
/6/ Fenton, J.D. & W.D. McKee (1991): On calculating the lengths of
water waves, Coastal Engrg., 15 pp.499-513. Elsevier Science Pub-
lishers B.v., Amsterdam.
/7/ Fredsøe, J.(1981) Mean Current Velocity Distribution in Combined

Waves and Current. Progress Report No. 53, ISVA, Technical Uni-
versity of Denmark.
/8/ Fredsøe, J.(1984) Turbulent Boundary Layers in Combined Wave

Current Motion. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, Vol.
110, No. HY8, pp. 1103-1120.
/9/ Fu & Thornton (1986): Wave numbers of Linear Progressive waves,

JWPCO., ASCE, Vol.112, WW4, July, pp.536-540.
/10/ Jonsson, I.G., Skovgaard, O., and Jacobsen, T.S.(1974) Computa-

tion of Longshore Currents. Proc. Coastal Engineering Conference,
pp. 699-714.
/11/ Jonsson, I.G. and N.A. Carlsen (1976): Experimental and Theoreti-
cal Investigations in an Oscillatory Turbulent Boundary Layer. J.
Appendix A Additional Reading 103

Additional Reading
Hyd. Res. 14,1 pp. 45-60.
/12/ Johnson, H.K. and Poulin, S. (1998). On the accuracy of parabolic

wave models. Proc. 26th Int. Conf. Coast. Engrg., 22-26 June 1998,
Copenhagen, Denmark.
/13/ Kirby, J.T. (1986). Rational approximations in the parabolic equa-

tion method for water waves, Coastal Engrg., Vol. 10, pp. 355-378.
/14/ Lundgren, H. (1972): Turbulent Currents in the Presence of Waves.

Coastal Eng. Conf., pp. 623-634).
/15/ Sand, S.E.(1979) Three-Dimensional Deterministic Structure of

Ocean Waves. Series paper No. 24, ISVA, Technical University of
Denmark, 1979.
/16/ Svendsen, I.A., and Jonsson, I.G.(1980): Hydrodynamics of Coastal

Regions. Den Private Ingeniørfond, Technical University of Den-
mark.
/17/ Swart, D.H.(1974) Offshore Sediment Transport and Equilibrium

Beach Profiles. Delft Hydr. Lab. Publ. 131, Delft University Tech-
nology Diss., Delft.
/18/ Zyserman, J. & Fredsøe, J. (1994) Data analysis of bed concen-

tration of suspended sediment. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering,
ASCE, vol 120, No. 9.
104 LITDRIFT
INDEX
105
Index
B
Battjes and Janssen . . . . . . . . . . 49
Breaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
F
Flow Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
L
Littoral Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
N
near bed velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
P
Point Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
point selection parameter . . . . . . . 72
R
Radiation Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Rayleigh Wave . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
reduction factor R . . . . . . . . . 55, 85
Refraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
S
Shoaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
spreading factor . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
V
Velocity Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
W
Wave Boundary Layer . . . . . . . . . 61
wave friction factor . . . . . . . . . . . 62
106 LITDRIFT

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LITDRIFT

Longshore Current and Littoral Drift

LITDRIFT USER GUIDE

MIKE by DHI 2014

Appendix A Additional Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

A.1 ADDITIONAL READING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

1 ABOUT THIS MANUAL

Furthermore it contains a step-by-step procedure which can be followed

Examples (p. 19) describes a simple LITDRIFT application in order to

LITDRIFT Scientific Background (p. 41) describes the theory behind

LITDRIFT Reference (p. 77) describes the parameters in the LITDRIFT

LITCONV Reference (p. 95) describes the utility program LITCONV.

1.2 Assumed User Background

1.3 Overview of LITDRIFT Applications

The hydrodynamic model includes a description of propagation, shoaling

Having computed the longshore current - by the hydrodynamic module -

ment transport calculations carried out by the STP-module, are made to

The total sediment transport is dominated by transport contributions from

By considering the variation on the hydrodynamic climate (e.g. the yearly

1.3.2 Application Areas

A facility in LITDRIFT enables the user to calculate the annual sediment

1.3.3 Computational Features

1.4 Modelling Procedure, Step-by-Step

The work will normally consist of the tasks listed below:

z defining and limiting the subject of interest

1.4.2 Defining and Limiting the Subject of Interest

Identify the Subject

z what is the topic for the investigation

Check LITDRIFT Capabilities

Selecting Cross-Shore Profile and Grid Spacing

In practice the choice of the grid spacing is often a compromise between

1.4.3 Collecting Data

1.4.4 Setting up the Model

What Does It Mean

The most important parameter is the mean grain diameter d50.

Generally, both items will be available from a grain sample analysis.

The waves must be described by either regular or irregular waves.

Time Series Data

1.4.5 Calibrating and Verifying the Model

The purpose of the calibration is to tune the model in order to reproduce

Calibration and Verification Situations

1.4.6 Running the Production Simulations

1.4.7 Presenting the Results

The directory names are as follows:

Refraction and Shoaling Test: coast

Blocking of Longshore Transport: blocking

Sediment Budget: budget

Storm Event: storm

Transfer Wave Climate: transfer

Spectral Wave Description: wavedescription

2.2 A Simple Example: Refraction and Shoaling Test

Please note that, in this section, words shown in boldface correspond to

2.2.2 Defining the Problem

We want to investigate the refraction and shoaling of a regular wave prop-

The test conditions are:

z The cross-shore profile has a uniform slope with a gradient of 0.01,

Figure 2.1 Orientation of profile and incoming wave

2.2.3 Setting up the Model

Figure 2.2 The setup selection menu

First you have to select Model Type, see Figure 2.3.

Figure 2.3 Selection of model type

Figure 2.4 Selection of cross-shore profile bathymetry.

The hydrodynamic parameters are specified on the Wave Description Dia-