13 Feb 2025

Upper Barataria Basin (UBB) Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Study : Probabilistic and Numerical Coastal Hazards Modeling

Abstract: This report summarizes the numerical modeling and probabilistic analysis performed by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) as part of the Upper Barataria Basin (UBB) Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Study. The intent of this work, performed for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and St. Paul District, was to evaluate project alternatives to assess flooding risks induced by coastal storms in coastal Louisiana. This study applied the USACE’s Coastal Storm Modeling System for storm surge and wave modeling and Coastal Hazards System–Probabilistic Framework (CHS-PF) to quantify water level and wave hazards, leveraging existing synthetic tropical cyclones (TCs) from the Coastal Hazards System¬–Louisiana (CHS-LA) study for levee recertification. Using a reduced storm suite (RSS) of synthetic TCs from CHS-LA, hydrodynamic model simulations were performed on an updated grid, including five proposed levee systems, to produce storm responses at more than 184,000 mesh node locations and over 21000 special save point locations within the UBB project area. Through the application of the CHS-PF, the joint probability analysis of TC atmospheric-forcing parameters and their associated storm responses were assessed for the estimation of still water level (SWL), significant wave height (Hm0), and wave peak period (Tp) annual exceedance frequencies ranging from 10 to 1 × 10−4 yr−1 to evaluate the impact of the UBB with- and without-project conditions.

25 Jun 2024

US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Wave Information Study: 2021 Annual Update

Purpose: This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) describes the 2021 Wave Information Study (WIS) annual update. Within this CHETN, we summarize the WIS input data, explain the model technologies, detail the quality control / quality assurance (QA/QC), and provide statistical evaluation of the 2021 WIS estimates as compared to in situ buoys and remotely sensed satellite altimeter data.

3 Oct 2022

Practical Guidance for Numerical Modeling in FUNWAVE-TVD

Purpose: This technical note describes the physical and numerical considerations for developing an idealized numerical wave-structure interaction modeling study using the fully nonlinear, phase-resolving Boussinesq-type wave model, FUNWAVE-TVD (Shi et al. 2012). The focus of the study is on the range of validity of input wave characteristics and the appropriate numerical domain properties when inserting partially submerged, impermeable (i.e., fully reflective) coastal structures in the domain. These structures include typical designs for breakwaters, groins, jetties, dikes, and levees. In addition to presenting general numerical modeling best practices for FUNWAVE-TVD, the influence of nonlinear wave-wave interactions on regular wave propagation in the numerical domain is discussed. The scope of coastal structures considered in this document is restricted to a single partially submerged, impermeable breakwater, but the setup and the results can be extended to other similar structures without a loss of generality. The intended audience for these materials is novice to intermediate users of the FUNWAVE-TVD wave model, specifically those seeking to implement coastal structures in a numerical domain or to investigate basic wave-structure interaction responses in a surrogate model prior to considering a full-fledged 3-D Navier-Stokes Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. From this document, users will gain a fundamental understanding of practical modeling guidelines that will flatten the learning curve of the model and enhance the final product of a wave modeling study. Providing coastal planners and engineers with ease of model access and usability guidance will facilitate rapid screening of design alternatives for efficient and effective decision-making under environmental uncertainty.

29 Jan 2021

Simulations of Shoreline Changes along the Delaware Coast

Abstract: This technical report presents two applications of the GenCade model to simulate long-term shoreline evolution along the Delaware Coast driven by waves, inlet sediment transport, and longshore sediment transport. The simulations also include coastal protection practices such as periodic beach fills, post-storm nourishment, and sand bypassing. Two site-specific GenCade models were developed: one is for the coasts adjacent to the Indian River Inlet (IRI) and another is for Fenwick Island. In the first model, the sediment exchanges among the shoals and bars of the inlet were simulated by the Inlet Reservoir Model (IRM) in the GenCade. An inlet sediment transfer factor (γ) was derived from the IRM to quantify the capability of inlet sediment bypassing, measured by a rate of longshore sediments transferred across an inlet from the updrift side to the downdrift side. The second model for the Fenwick Island coast was validated by simulating an 11-year-long shoreline evolution driven by longshore sediment transport and periodic beach fills. Validation of the two models was achieved through evaluating statistical errors of simulations. The effects of the sand bypassing operation across the IRI and the beach fills in Fenwick Island were examined by comparing simulation results with and without those protection practices. Results of the study will benefit planning and management of coastal sediments at the sites.

28 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment Life-Cycle Structure Response Modeling

Abstract: Dauphin Island, a barrier island off the coast of Alabama, plays an important role in the protection of the state’s coastal natural resources. In 2011, the State of Alabama constructed a rubble mound berm across a 2 km breach in the western end of the barrier island to prevent oil from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill from migrating into the Mississippi Sound. The breach, referred to as the Katrina Cut, was caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Geological Survey (USGS) performed the Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment study to assess the current and future function of Dauphin Island and evaluate potential restoration measures. A Monte Carlo life-cycle structure response assessment of the Katrina Cut rubble mound structure was performed as part of this study by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory. Damage, wave transmission, and reliability were computed within the context of the decadal barrier evolution analysis performed by the USGS for various storminess and relative sea level change scenarios. The presence of a beach in front of the structure plays an important role in its protection. The breaching potential for measures was evaluated.

15 Jan 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Quantifying Wave Breaking Shape and Suspended Sediment in the Surf Zone

 Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/35076Report Number: ERDC/CHL TR-19-22Title: Quantifying Wave Breaking Shape and Suspended Sediment in the Surf ZoneBy Patrick J. Dickhudt, Nicholas J. Spore, Katherine L. Brodie, and A. Spicer BakApproved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited November 2019Abstract: This technical report describes a