In the natural conditions, intensity of elementary processes and their relation to
specific zones in the underwater slope are determined not only by the composition
of sediments, but also by external forces: variations in the sea level due to the tides
or onshore winds, wave currents, infragravity waves, and local bottom slopes.
7.5 Problems of Investigation of Hydrodynamic Processes
in the Coastal Zone
All dynamical processes in the coastal zone can be separated into three categories:
small-, intermediate- and large-scale processes, based on the spatial and time scales
of near-shore fluid motions (Fig. 7.1) (State of Nearshore Processes Research 2000;
Akivis 2008).
During the last decade, field experiments and numerical modeling have shown
that near-shore wave transformations, circulation, and bathymetric change involve
coupled processes at many spatial and temporal scales (Fig. 7.2).
Inconsistency currently exists between the level of our knowledge about the
hydrodynamic processes in the coastal shelf zone and the necessity of the effective
forecasting of possible ecological variations caused by the intense economical
Fig. 7.1 Space-time scales
of the near-shore processes
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R.D. Kosyan and B.V. Divinskiy