Verification of a 1-dimensional surf prediction model for steep beach conditions

• Main Author: Cutshaw, Charles Q.
• Other Authors: Thornton, Edward B.
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/5940

Wave breaking is the only source of energy dissipation in the Battjes and Janssen (1978) wave transformation model, which is parameterized by a breaking wave parameter, Y. The Battjes and Janssen (1978) wave transformation model was calibrated by Battjes and Stive (1985) and the calibration was refined by Morris et al. (2001) for waves over shallow sloping beaches. The objective of this study was to further refine the calibration to include steep beaches for a range of wave conditions by analyzing data from a nearshore experiment at Sand City, California. Waves were measured by a cross-shore array of nine pressure sensors. The pressure data were analyzed for Hrms and compared with calculated Hrms by the model. Results were largely inconclusive, which is attributed to wave reflection from the steep beach, something not accounted for in the model. Excluding data collected at low tides and allowing the model to account for reflection would likely reveal a more interesting outcome.