Data-driven analysis of medium-term wave–seabed interactions at a non-tidal beach with multiple bars

The main scope of this paper is the analysis of wave–seabed interactions which play a significant role during the morphological evolution of a non-tidal sandy beach with multiple bars. The primary technique employed in our analysis was the Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). A large amount of field data is necessary in order to use a statistical method such as the CCA to produce reliable results. However, our study area, a non-tidal beach with multiple bars located at IBW PAN Coastal Research Station at Lubiatowo, Poland has been the subject of numerous surveys during the last couple of decades, providing valuable information regarding both the bathymetry and the wave climate in the nearshore area. To that end, key wave transformation patterns were identified. The division of the original data set of consecutive seabed surveys, complemented by wave measurements, into summer and winter subsets, and the separate application of the CCA to each one of them, produced relatively high skill predictions and provides insight into noticeably different patterns of wave transformation in both seasons. Finally, the results and the experience gained by the application of the CCA are discussed and summarized to highlight research potential of the CCA method.