Advances In Coastal And Ocean Engineering, Vol 2

Book excerpt: This volume contains six papers discussing coastal processes, and physical and numerical modeling.In the first paper, Svendsen and Putrevu give an extensive review on the state of understanding of surf-zone hydrodynamics, including subjects such as wave breaking, wave-induced currents, and instability of nearshore currents and infragravity waves. They point out that the most urgent need is to develop an adequate theory for wave breaking and broken waves in the surf zone.One of the methods for studying the complex coastal processes is to perform laboratory experiments. However, physical models are always plagued by scale and laboratory effects, because the coastal process involves many different length and time scales. In the second paper, Kamphuis presents a detailed discussion on the sources and implications of the scale and laboratory effects on physical modeling.The third and the fourth papers are two parts of the discussion on the mathematical modeling of the meso-tidal barrier island coasts. To understand the dynamics of coastal inlet systems, one can either rely on empirical knowledge and construct various forms of empirical and semi-empirical models (Part I), or develop a set of mathematical models based on the physical processes (Part II). Although these models do not provide the details of the dynamics, they give valuable knowledge of the equilibrium-state relationships. de Vriend and Ribberink give a detailed review on two models, Initial Sedimentation/Erosion models and Medium-Term Morphodynamic models. They have also presented many examples of applications.In the fifth paper, Houston gives a brief review on different methods to mitigate beach loss caused by storms or persistent long-term erosion. He then describes, in detail, the method of beach nourishment, which is also called a beach fill. This paper discusses the information that must be collected to design a beach fill and that should be monitored after the completion of the project.The last paper of this volume shifts our attention to the design of offshore structures, such as gravity structures, floating barges and tankers. Chakrabarti discusses the effects of the uniform and shear currents on fixed and floating structures.