CHARACTER AND STABILITY OF A NATURAL TIDAL INLET
PDF

Keywords

natural inlet
tidal inlet
inlet stability

How to Cite

Mason, C., & Sorenson, R. M. (1972). CHARACTER AND STABILITY OF A NATURAL TIDAL INLET. Coastal Engineering Proceedings, 1(13), 39. https://doi.org/10.9753/icce.v13.39

Abstract

An environmental study was conducted at Brown Cedar Cut, a natural unstable barrier beach inlet connecting East Matagorda Bay, Texas, with the Gulf of Mexico. The objectives of this study were to determine the physical and hydraulic properties of the Inlet, and to investigate the inlet's historical stability, as well as its short-term response to a number of physical processes. Results of the study indicate that hurricanes and continuing erosion of adjacent beaches enhance the long-term stability of the inlet. During winter months, the rapid passage of strong frontal systems and associated winds, as well as substantial amounts of rainfall, are primarily responsible for the day-to-day viability of the channel boundaries. In the absence of such forces, the predominance of littoral drift over the limited flushing ability of astronomical tidal currents leads to degradation of the inlet channel and westward migration of the entire inlet system.
https://doi.org/10.9753/icce.v13.39
PDF
Authors retain copyright and grant the Proceedings right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this Proceedings.