Infragravity Seiches in a Small Harbor
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 5
Abstract
A method is developed to estimate harbor seiche at Marina di Carrara, Italy, from the properties of wind-generated incident waves outside the harbor. A linear model of the spatial structure of amplified seiche modes is combined with empirical estimates of the response of each mode to variable incident wave forcing. These empirical coefficients parameterize the complex nonlinear transfer of energy from wind waves to lower frequency seiche. As at other small harbors (<1 km2 surface area) on ocean coasts, and consistent with previous analyses at Carrara, the observed seiche is relatively energetic at several periods between about 1 and 15 min that are highly amplified theoretically, and the spatial structure of modeled and observed seiches agree as well. The longest seiche (≈15 min) mode is almost spatially uniform within the harbor and dominates with low-energy, short-period incident wind waves (measured 1 km offshore of the harbor). Increased wave energy and longer periods excite shorter period (1–3 min) seiche modes with more complex spatial structure, including small areas of high amplification, which have led to operational issues. The energy in each of the six most energetic seiche modes is related in this paper empirically to offshore incident wind wave height and peak period, allowing detailed predictions of harbor seiche from routine wind wave forecasts. The approach appears applicable to relatively small, shallow harbors with reflective quay walls, in which the exterior harbor mouth is exposed, and the interior sheltered from energetic wind-generated waves.
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Acknowledgments
Support for observations and analysis from the Port Authority of Marina di Carrara and HR Wallingford is gratefully acknowledged. Professor Guza was supported partially by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways. Support from Dr. Ivano Melito (Port Authority of Marina di Carrara) and Dr. Alessandro Iannotta (API Nòva Energia) is warmly acknowledged.
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Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 5 • September 2017
Copyright
© 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 16, 2016
Accepted: Dec 16, 2016
Published online: Jul 11, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Dec 11, 2017
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