2D Wave setup behind submerged breakwaters

In addition to reducing the incoming wave energy, submerged breakwaters also cause a setup of the sea level in the protected area, which is relevant to the whole shadow zone circulation, including alongshore currents and seaward flows through the gaps. This study examines such a leading hydraulic parameter under the simplified hypothesis of 2D motion and presents a prediction model that has been validated by a wide ensemble of experimental data. Starting from an approach originally proposed by Dalrymple and Dean [(1971). Piling-up behind low and submerged permeable breakwaters. Discussion note on Diskin et al. (1970). Journal of Waterways and Harbors Division WW2, 423–427], the model splits the rise of the mean water level into two contributions: one is due to the momentum flux release forced by wave breaking on the structure, and the other is associated with the mass transport process. For the first time, the case of random wave trains has been explicitly considered.     

Seasonality and duration in extreme value distributions of significant wave height

This paper presents a statistical model to characterize the long-term extreme value distribution of significant wave height, conditioning to the duration of the storm and accounting for seasonality. A time-dependent version of the peak over threshold (POT) approach is used to build the model, which is then applied to specific reanalysis time series and NOAA buoy records. The model considers the annual and semiannual cycles which are parameterized in terms of harmonic functions. The inclusion of seasonal variabilities substantially reduces the residuals of the fitted model. The information obtained in this study can be useful to design maritime works, because (a) the model improves the understanding of the variability of extreme wave climate along a year and (b) the model accounts for the duration of the storm, which is a key parameter in several formulations for rubble mound breakwater design.     

Onshore sandbar migration at Tairua Beach (New Zealand): Numerical simulations and field measurements

We observed the onshore migration (3.5 m/day) of a nearshore sandbar at Tairua Beach, New Zealand during 4 days of low-energy wave conditions. The morphological observations, together with concurrent measurements of waves and suspended sediment concentrations, were used to test a coupled, wave-averaged, cross-shore model. Because of the coarse bed material and the relatively low-energy conditions, the contribution of the suspended transport to the total transport was predicted and observed to be negligible. The model predicted the bar to move onshore because of the feedback between near-bed wave skewness, bedload, and the sandbar under weakly to non-breaking conditions at high tide. The predicted bathymetric evolution contrasts, however, with the observations that the bar migrated onshore predominantly at low tide. Also, the model flattened the bar, while in the observations the sandbar retained its steep landward-facing flank. A comparison between available observations and numerical simulations suggests that onshore propagating surf zone bores in very shallow water (< 0.25 m) may have been responsible for most of the observed bar behaviour. These processes are missing from the applied model and, given that the observed conditions can be considered typical of very shallow sandbars, highlight a priority for further field study and model development. The possibility that the excess water transported by the bores across the bar was channelled alongshore to near-by rip-channels further implies that traditional cross-shore measures to judge the applicability of a cross-shore morphodynamic model may be misleading.     

Solution of the propagation of the waves in open channels by the transfer matrix method

Many problems in mechanics can be solved by the use of the transfer matrix method. The use of this method in hydraulics engineering is not widespread and only limited studies are available. In this study, linearized St. Venant equations were used and the use of transfer matrix in ocean engineering was investigated for long waves in open channels, and numerical application was carried out. The results obtained through the transfer matrix method, which is quite easy to use, program and comprehend, showed similar results obtained from the characteristics method and finite differences method.     

港域波浪数学模型的改进与验证

通过物理模型对改进的港内波浪传播变形数学模型进行验证。该数学模型以推广的时变缓坡方程为控制方程,采用含松弛因子的ADI法求解,并对波浪反射和透射边界模拟方法进行改进。先通过物理模型试验确定斜向浪入射条件下抛石防波堤前的波浪反射系数,作为数学模型中部分反射边界模拟的依据。然后进行了一个典型港口内波浪折射、绕射和反射的模型试验,测量港内波浪分布。对比模型试验和数学模型计算的结果表明,数学模型可较好地模拟港内复杂地形和边界条件下规则波和不规则波的传播变形。     

The statistical distribution of nearbed wave orbital velocity in intermediate coastal water depth

The statistical distribution of wave orbital velocity in intermediate coastal water depth has been quantitatively determined from the comprehensive field velocity data collected near the seabed in this study. Two ocean ADV current meters, which were mounted at 0.5 m above the seabed on two separate stainless steel tripods sitting on the seabed, were used to measure instantaneous water particle velocities at a 2 Hz sampling rate for 17.07 min every hour in two coastal water depths of 11 m and 23 m in nine field deployments over a period of 2 years. The zero-crossing method is applied to analyse the field velocity data collected in each field deployment to obtain a large sample of wave orbital velocity amplitudes of individual waves. Based on the collected field velocity data, it is found that the histogram of instantaneous wave orbital velocities perfectly follows the Gaussian distribution as commonly assumed, while the histogram of wave orbital velocity amplitudes is less accurately described by the Rayleigh distribution than the modified Rayleigh and the Weibull distribution. It is also found that large orbital velocity amplitudes are generally overestimated by the Rayleigh distribution, but well predicted by the modified Rayleigh and the Weibull distribution. The expected value of maximum orbital velocity in a velocity record of finite size is also derived from the three distributions and found to agree well with the present field data.     

Predicting tsunami arrivals: Estimates and policy implications

Tsunami is one of a few kinds of natural disasters that leave people some time for escape. This escape time, which is essentially the time for the giant wave to propagate from the epicentre to a coast, has to be estimated without delay upon the occurrence of the incident. With the advancement of water wave theories, much work has been done to model the propagation of tsunamis from deep oceans to shallow water. The authors argue that while much emphasis has been put on the expansion of the high-tech early warning system and the development of complicated tsunami models, a simple-to-use yet accurate predictive model is still wanting. This paper presents a handy linear wave model, which is capable of estimating the arrival time of a tsunami with very good accuracy, as has been verified by comparison with past incidents. With the availability of such a simple model, even local communities without access to a high-tech warning system can readily estimate the time left for emergency evacuation.     

Nonlinear numerical simulation on extreme-wave kinematics

A fully nonlinear numerical model based on a time-domain higher-order boundary element method (HOBEM) is founded to simulate the kinematics of extreme waves. In the model, the fully nonlinear free surface boundary conditions are satisfied and a semi-mixed Euler-Lagrange method is used to track free surface; a fourth-order Runga-Kutta technique is adopted to refresh the wave elevation and velocity potential on the free surface at each time step; an image Green function is used in the numerical wave tank so that the integrations on the lateral surfaces and bottom are excluded. The extreme waves are generated by the method of wave focusing. The physical experiments are carried out in a wave flume. On the horizontal velocity of the measured point, numerical solutions agree well with experimental results. The characteristics of the nonlinear extreme-wave kinematics and the velocity distribution are studied here.     

一个波浪破碎散射模型的改进

为了得到与实测数据更为一致的散射模型,对KHCC03散射模型进行了改进.研究了考虑波浪破碎影响的KHCC03散射模型的适用范围.研究结果表明,KHCC03散射模型在入射角为25°～40°范围内,模型结果与实测数据吻合较好,在入射角小于25°和入射角大于40°的情况下,模型结果与实测数据差异较大.针对这一问题,对KHCC03模型进行了改进,结果表明:与原KHCC03模型相比,改进后的模型结果与实测数据吻合程度明显提高.     

利用TOPEX卫星高度计资料分析台湾岛周边海域巨浪和大风特征

卫星高度计实现了对全球性或区域性的海洋参量的实时监测,TOPEX卫星高度计提供了迄今为止时间序列最长、数据质量最高的全球海面风速和有效波高的同步观测资料。利用TOPEX卫星高度计资料,分析了有效波高4m以上的巨浪在台湾岛周边海域的时空分布特征,结果表明台湾岛周边海域巨浪的分布具有明显的季节特征。每年平均有效波高最大值大多数出现在夏季,春季是1a中有效波高最小的季节,而秋季和冬季是巨浪出现频率最高的季节。波高大于6m的巨浪大都出现在台湾岛东部及东北部海域,在南部海域出现较少。