Swash Zone Hydrodynamics

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

0095834/Liu The intent of this project is to develop an improved capability for modeling wave run-up on a beach, i.e. the swash zone. One of the major effects that the project will tackle is how to combine modeling of the free flow over the beach with the effects of exchange with flow within the permeable beach. The approach will combine numerical modeling efforts with comparisons to data from field experiments in the swash zone on Californian beaches and from laboratory experiments to be conducted at Cornell. The modeling approach is to combine a RANS model, presently used for flow over an impermeable beach, with a model for flow through a permeable beach. An effort will be made to improve the modeling of flow within the beach by applying an analogue of the Reynolds averaging technique to flow in porous media. In addition a depth averaged version of the RANS model will be modified to include parameterizations of the interaction with permeable beaches. The laboratory work will look at the interaction of solitary waves and periodic wavetrains with several types of planar beach including smooth impermeable, rough impermeable, and porous beaches. The field results that will be used to guide the model development are from experiments at Scripps Beach and Torrey Pines Beach in San Diego. These latter experiments were carried out by B. Raubenheimer who is collaborating in this project on a sub-contract from Cornell to WHOI.