Resumen

HORRILLO-CARABALLO, José M.; PEDROZO-ACUNA, Adrián  y  ONANDIA, Beñat. Forecast of gravel beach profiles using Canonical Correlation Analysis. Tecnol. cienc. agua [online]. 2010, vol.1, n.2, pp.05-19. ISSN 2007-2422.

This paper represents the first application of Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) for the prediction of coarse-grained beach profiles. The experimental data comes from a laboratory study at prototype scale carried out in 2002 at the Coastal Research Center in Germany. For this purpose, time series of free surface elevation, both in deep and shallow waters, are utilized in order to determine the probability density function (pdf) of wave heights. To determine the forecast of beach profiles, these pdf's are related to measured beach profiles through CCA. The results indicate correlations of 0.95 for offshore conditions and 0.98 for near-shore conditions. It is demonstrated that CCA is an ideal tool for predicting beach profiles, as long as good quality data is acquired. This reveals the importance of implementing a continuous coastal monitoring program.

Palabras llave : Canonical Correlation Analysis; beach profiles; gravel beaches; beach morphology; forecast.