Verification of Longshore Sediment Transport Formulas at Some of the Southern Coastlines of Iran

A correct estimation of the sediment transport rate and the amount of sedimentation is among the important and effective factors to be considered in the design of ports and coastal structures. Although many research efforts are now conducted on the influencing parameters of the sediment transport to quantify the transport rate, the approximate and relatively simple formulas are still routinely used. CERC and Kamphuis are among the well-known formulas for the calculation of the potential longshore sediment transport (LST) rate. However, the accuracy of predictions of transport rates, based on the applications of these formulas at different locations of the world, has not been similar. In present paper, using a limited number of data related to local waves and characteristics of grain size distributions, the longshore sediment transport rates at some of the southern coastlines of Iran have been calculated and the results have been compared with the actual sediment impoundments at breakwaters and groins. The volumes of sedimentation are derived from the comparisons of hydrographic surveys. Verification of these formulas at southern coasts of the country reveals the higher accuracy of Kamphuis formula in comparison to CERC formula. A relationship was also presented for the calculation of K parameter of CERC formula as a function of the surf similarity parameter.