A model for simulating the dispersal tracks of sand-sized particles in coastal areas – “SandTrack”

A model is described that simulates the paths taken by a large number of identified particles on the seabed in coastal areas in response to waves and currents. A number of practical applications require such a Lagrangian approach, as distinct from the more traditional Eulerian calculations of the transport rates of bulk quantities of identical particles or grains. Such applications include studies of the dispersal of contaminated particulate material, such as may be associated with industrial discharges, and of the dispersal of dredged spoil.