Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Notation
- OCEAN ENGINEERING MECHANICS
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Review of Hydromechanics
- 3 Linear Surface Waves
- 4 Nonlinear Surface Waves
- 5 Random Seas
- 6 Wave Modification and Transformation
- 7 Waves in the Coastal Zone
- 8 Coastal Engineering Considerations
- 9 Wave-Induced Forces and Moments on Fixed Bodies
- 10 Introduction to Wave-Structure Interaction
- 11 Wave-Induced Motions of Floating Bodies
- 12 Wave-Induced Motions of Compliant Structures
- Appendices
- References
- Index
7 - Waves in the Coastal Zone
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Notation
- OCEAN ENGINEERING MECHANICS
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Review of Hydromechanics
- 3 Linear Surface Waves
- 4 Nonlinear Surface Waves
- 5 Random Seas
- 6 Wave Modification and Transformation
- 7 Waves in the Coastal Zone
- 8 Coastal Engineering Considerations
- 9 Wave-Induced Forces and Moments on Fixed Bodies
- 10 Introduction to Wave-Structure Interaction
- 11 Wave-Induced Motions of Floating Bodies
- 12 Wave-Induced Motions of Compliant Structures
- Appendices
- References
- Index
Summary
The field of coastal engineering has many facets. The reader is referred to the handbooks edited by Herbich (1999) and by Kim (2009) for discussions of most of the coastal engineering areas. In this chapter the focus is on the coastal zone, where most of the attention of coastal engineers is focused on the effects of breaking and broken waves. The phenomenon of breaking is nonlinear in nature, as discussed in Section 4.6. The nonlinear behavior of breaking waves can be approximately predicted by theoretical analyses. The theoretical expressions for breaking waves presented in Section 4.6 are based on two assumptions. First, the water depth is assumed to be uniform, and second, the wave profile of the breaking wave is symmetric about a vertical plane containing the crest line. Even with these modeling constraints, the theoretical analyses have been found to have value in conceptual engineering design applications. Dean (1974) presents a detailed discussion of the limitations of the various wave theories when applied to waves at or near breaking.
After a shoaling wave breaks, energy losses occur, and the resulting behavior of the wave depends on phenomena that cannot be completely mathematically modeled. The behavior of the wave prior to the break is also affected by bed friction and, if the bed is porous, by percolation. These cause energy losses and complicate our ability to theoretically predict the behavior of the wave. Because of this, empirical formulas based on both experimental and field data have been developed.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Ocean Engineering MechanicsWith Applications, pp. 224 - 257Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009