Movable-Bed Tidal Inlet Model

The effectiveness of movable-bed tidal inlet hydraulic models in predicting prototype behavior is evaluated by comparing the model predictions with the observations made in the prototype. The calibration of the model, as measured by bed topography changes, is evaluated by means of quantitative indicators, including correlation coefficients and root-mean-square error. Evaluation of data from the Galveston Harbor entrance model revealed that the shoaling rates and distribution along the navigation channel predicted by the model are not in good agreement with the prototype data. Disagreement between model and prototype is believed to have been due to scale effects introduced by nonsimilarity of the physical processes, insufficient prototype data for model calibration, oversimplification of the available prototype data for use in the model study, and experimental errors.