VARIABLE DISPERSION AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE MOVEMENTS OF TRACERS ON BEACHES

Abstract

To arrive at a quantitative assessment of sediment transport using tracers it is usual to analyse the results using the "centroid method". It is quite satisfactory to apply such a method when the dispersion from any cause is constant over the area under study. However, when tracers are used m a variable dispersive field, as on a beach, the interpretation of the results "by normal methods can give misleading results. A simple arithmetical model is used to illustrate the ideas put forward m the paper.