Introduction
For over half a century, reporters have suggested a link between the elevation of beach groundwater and erosional or accretional trends of the beach face. Beach dewatering (the artificial lowering of the water table within beaches by a system of drains and pumps) is suggested by its proponents as a practical alternative to more traditional methods of coast-stabilization. Within the last 15–20 years several tests have been installed, and to date seven to eight commercial dewatering systems have operated. The following is a review of the origins and development of the dewatering concept from early work on beach face permeability and beach groundwater dynamics, to recent field and laboratory studies that have explicitly examined the effect of artificial groundwater manipulation on beach face accretion and erosion.
The origin of the beach drain
The beach drain (Figure B16) is not a new concept, but was revived in the last 20 years due to commercial interests (Turner and...
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Cross-references
Beach Erosion
Cross-Shore Sediment Transport
Depth of Disturbance
Hydrology of the Coastal Zone
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Bruun, P. (2005). Beach Drain. In: Schwartz, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_32
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