Intertidal boulder-based wave hindcasting can underestimate wave size: Evidence from Yorkshire, UK

Abstract

Large boulder-size clasts can represent important archives of high energy erosional wave activity at the coast. From tropical coral reefs to high-latitude eroding cliffs, boulders have been used to hindcast the frequency and magnitude (height) of waves produced by both storms and tsunami. Such reconstructions are based on the balance between the hydrodynamic forces acting on individual boulders and the counteracting resistive forces of friction and gravity. We test published models on over 900 intertidal boulders on the coast at Staithes in North Yorkshire, U.K., using repeat high-resolution topographic survey data. We quantified the predicted versus actual rates of boulder movement in the f..