Run-up Controls on Low-Tide Terrace Beaches Revealed by Non-Hydrostatic Wave Modeling

Run-up Controls on Low-Tide Terrace Beaches Revealed by Non-Hydrostatic Wave Modeling | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Run-up Controls on Low-Tide Terrace Beaches Revealed by Non-Hydrostatic Wave Modeling Harold Diaz, Julien Boucharel, Patrick Marchesiello, Rafael Almar, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8329028/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Wave run-up on low-tide terrace (LTT) beaches is strongly modulated by tidal water depth and local morphology, yet quantitative field observations in these environments remain scarce. Here we combine multi-sensor coastal observations with phase-resolving numerical modeling to investigate swash and run-up dynamics on an LTT beach in Nha Trang, Vietnam. A dense instrumentation array—including a 2D LiDAR system, an offshore ADCP, and camera imagery—was deployed to characterize free-surface fluctuations, shoreline excursions, and short-term morphological evolution. Using these measurements, we validate the non-hydrostatic version of CROCO through wave-resolving simulations forced by observed offshore conditions and time-varying beach profiles over 7 days. The model accurately reproduces tidal modulation of significant wave height, inner-shore hydrodynamics, and run-up statistics ($R^2$ > 0.7), including the nonlinear transfer of incident energy to the infragravity band. Sensitivity experiments reveal that run-up variability is governed primarily by wave period and surf-zone slope, rather than offshore significant wave height, within the observed forcing range. These depth-controlled mechanisms are characteristic of LTT beaches, where long-period swell and tidal modulation jointly influence breaking patterns and swash responses. We further develop an adapted Stockdon-type parameterization based on surf-zone slope, which performs comparably to CROCO and at times better once the terrace forms. This highlights the potential of simple, morphology-aware predictors for operational applications. Our results demonstrate the value of integrating remote sensing and wave-resolving models to characterize swash processes in tide-modulated environments, and provide new constraints for developing transferable run-up parameterizations on low-tide terrace beaches. Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards Earth and environmental sciences/Ocean sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 10 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 06 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 12 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 12 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 10 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8329028","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":565352625,"identity":"64b97c13-85e4-485e-946c-51c476686827","order_by":0,"name":"Harold 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Here we combine multi-sensor coastal observations with phase-resolving numerical modeling to investigate swash and run-up dynamics on an LTT beach in Nha Trang, Vietnam. A dense instrumentation array—including a 2D LiDAR system, an offshore ADCP, and camera imagery—was deployed to characterize free-surface fluctuations, shoreline excursions, and short-term morphological evolution. Using these measurements, we validate the non-hydrostatic version of CROCO through wave-resolving simulations forced by observed offshore conditions and time-varying beach profiles over 7 days. The model accurately reproduces tidal modulation of significant wave height, inner-shore hydrodynamics, and run-up statistics ($R^2$ \u003e 0.7), including the nonlinear transfer of incident energy to the infragravity band. Sensitivity experiments reveal that run-up variability is governed primarily by wave period and surf-zone slope, rather than offshore significant wave height, within the observed forcing range. These depth-controlled mechanisms are characteristic of LTT beaches, where long-period swell and tidal modulation jointly influence breaking patterns and swash responses. We further develop an adapted Stockdon-type parameterization based on surf-zone slope, which performs comparably to CROCO and at times better once the terrace forms. This highlights the potential of simple, morphology-aware predictors for operational applications. 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