Simulations of Morphodynamic Changes Due to Waves and Tides in an Estuary Using CCHE2D-Coast Model

A coastal/estuarine process model was applied to investigate the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics in an estuary under combined physical forcings, i.e., tides, waves, winds, and river floods, including the extreme cases of three typhoons and one 100-year flood events. Numerical simulations by the computational model revealed complex flow patterns and morphodynamic changes in the estuary, e.g., coastal inundation, breaching of a rivermouth sand bar, and erosion/deposition due to tidal currents, river flood flows, and wave-induced currents. These results are important to the understanding of sediment transport and morphological processes especially during storms and floods, and furthermore, can be used in planning for flood protection, sediment management, and shoreline stabilization in the region.