Prediction of Wind Waves in a Shallow Estuary
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 4
Abstract
In comparison with wave modeling on an open coast, the complex geometry and bathymetry of estuaries, the unsteady conditions associated with estuarine circulation generated by tides and winds, and the relatively inadequate field data present a unique challenge. This study utilizes an unsteady, curvilinear spectral wave model that has the flexibility to resolve large geometric and bathymetric gradients and allows for consideration of unsteady forcing and currents to predict wind waves in Mobile Bay, Alabama. First, a laboratory data set on wave transformation over a circular shoal is chosen to test the curvilinear wave model. Excellent agreement is found between the numerical results and the laboratory measurements with a directional wave input and fine spatial resolution. Second, a three-dimensional circulation model is used to predict the varying current field and water levels that serve as the input to the wave model. The predictions of the wave model under unsteady forcing and ambient currents are then compared with the existing field measurement of wind waves in Mobile Bay. Numerical experiments are carried out to examine the effects of estuarine circulation and grid resolution on the model result. The study shows that the technique of linking a spectral wave model to a hydrodynamic model on curvilinear grids is an effective tool for wave prediction in estuaries.
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Acknowledgments
This research has been supported by a grant (F-827072-01-1) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program through the Alabama Center for Estuarine Studies and by a contract (DTFH61-03-C-00015) from the Federal Highway Administration through the Coastal Transportation Engineering Research & Education Center. The writers sincerely acknowledge the permission to use the open-source models of SWAN, ECOM, and GridMaker, as well as the laboratory and field data for this study. Discussions with Erick Rogers and Fengyan Shi are appreciated. The research described in the article has not been subjected to any EPA or FHWA review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the agencies, and no official endorsement should be inferred.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 131 • Issue 4 • July 2005
Pages: 137 - 148
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: May 9, 2003
Accepted: Dec 1, 2004
Published online: Jul 1, 2005
Published in print: Jul 2005
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