Sediment transport formulae relate the movement of sand particles to parameters like the flow velocity and the sediment particle size. It is common knowledge that these formulas have a restricted predictive skill, even for the conditions they are designed for. The majority of transport equations are calibrated on rivers and coastal areas with small flow velocities and the performance of these equations at large velocities (1-10m=s) is investigated only to a limited extent (Van Rhee, 2010).
During storm events, water level set-up and large waves can result in large flow velocities and morphological changes can be substantial. Figure 1.1 shows the devastating impact of hurricane Sandy (October 2012) on the morphology of Fire Island, New York. For the modelling of overwash and breaching, it is important to investigate what processes occur at high flow velocities and how sedimen transport models can be improved with this knowledge. In this way, more realistic predictions of storm impact can be made and the effectiveness of protective measures can be estimated.
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