Crest‐Breaking Time‐Lapse Approach for Measuring Breaker Angle

Abstract

Estimation of breaker angle in a littoral environmental observation (LEO) program is still based on a visual method and therefore is subjective. Breaker angles thus measured generally vary from person to person. In the absence of a sophisticated wave‐direction recording instrument, a simple and practical method has been evolved based on the time lapse between the wave breaking progressively at two points along the crest parallel to the shoreline. This method removes to a greater extent the subjectivity in observation, thereby making it a more reliable practical procedure. The method can be readily adopted for field observation by coastal engineers.