MORPHOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF SEBASTIAN INLET, FLORIDA: ENHANCEMENTS TO THE TIDAL INLET RESERVOIR MODEL

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Gary A. Zarillo 1, Nicholas C. Kraus2, and Ronald K. Hoeke1

Abstract: Geomorphic analysis was conducted for Sebastian Inlet, FL to re-formulate an analytic

model of shoal evolution and sediment bypassing. The Tidal Inlet Reservoir Model (Kraus 2002)

was enhanced to include sediment pathways that allow seasonal reversals in littoral sand transport

and episodic sand by- passing from an intra-inlet sand trap. The model was established with the aid

of historical morphologic data from Sebastian Inlet, interpreted together with process data.

INTRODUCTION

Sand management at stabilized tidal inlets has often resulted in unforeseen consequences for the

adjacent shoreface and beach. To quantify the inlet-beach interactions at Sebastian Inlet and

develop a protocol for examining other similar inlet systems, a combination of geomorphic analysis

and analytic models was applied to resolve the long-term change and sediment budget. Sebastian

Inlet, located on the central East Coast of Florida (Fig. 1), is a managed system created at the local

of a former natural inlet and stabilized by offset jetties. The inlet system can be considered

microtidal, having an ocean tidal range of approximately 1 m, a moderate wave climate.

Fig. 1. Location of Sebastian Inlet on east central coast of Florida.

1. Department of Marine and Environmental Systems, Florida Institute of Technology, 150

West University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901. Zarillo@fit.edu.

2. U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory,

3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180. .

Zarillo et al.