Abstract
Abstract. Numerical modelling has become an essential component of today's coastal planning, decision support and risk assessment. High-resolution modelling offers an extensive range of capabilities regarding simulated conditions, works and practices and provides with a wide array of data regarding nearshore wave dynamics and hydrodynamics. In the present work, the open-source TELEMAC suite and the commercial software MIKE21 are applied to selected coastal areas of South Italy. Applications follow a scenario-based approach in order to study representative wave conditions in the coastal field; the models' results are intercompared in order to test both their performance and capabilities and are further evaluated on the basis of their operational use for coastal planning and design. A multiparametric approach for the rapid assessment of wave conditions in coastal areas is also presented and implemented in areas of the same region. The overall approach is deemed to provide useful insights on the tested models and the use of numerical models – in general – in the above context, especially considering that the design of harbours, coastal protection works and management practices in the coastal zone is based on scenario-based approaches as well.
Highlights
Accurate predictions of waves, currents and sea level variations in coastal areas are essential for a wide range of research and operational applications, as they govern inundation, sediment and pollutant transport, coastal morphology evolution and interactions with structures
The study areas for the presented applications are all located in South Italy and comprise the coastal area around the city/port of Brindisi, the coastal area around the city/port of Bari and the Gulf of Taranto
TELEMAC and MIKE21 results are compared on the basis of wave/current characteristics, along linear transects from the offshore to the nearshore and at specific points inside/outside the breaker zone and near harbour entrances
Summary
Currents and sea level variations in coastal areas are essential for a wide range of research and operational applications, as they govern inundation, sediment and pollutant transport, coastal morphology evolution and interactions with structures. Reliable information on the hydrodynamics of the zone defined as nearshore, in particular, can serve a key role in coastal planning and hazard mitigation, as relevant processes at that scale differ significantly from those described in larger-scale oceanographic models. It is self-evident that, in the above context, the capabilities and limitations of such systems and methods – apart from their structure – would depend on those of the numerical models they comprise. Regarding more recent and complete attempts, one can refer to the work of Warner et al (2010), who developed the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport
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