Study of water renewal and sedimentation of a square harbor encapsulated in a coastal front with seawalls due to wind-induced hydrodynamic circulation

Abstract

In the current study in the middle of a coastal zone, a harbor basin in the form of a square area recessed to the front is considered. A breakwater of variable length and position offers protection from waves. The water renewal time and the self-purification capacity of the harbor under the influence of alongshore currents due to wind-induced water circulation of varying intensities were examined. Furthermore, the transport of particulate matter released from the upstream side of the coastal zone and the possible influence (via sedimentation) on the lateral basin was investigated. The current study was based on the use of a two-dimensional depth-averaged hydrodynamic model and a quasi-three-, dimensional transport model while the effect of partial closing of the harbor's entrance was examined. The (1) adjustment and (2) validation of the reliability of the numerical model at a laboratory level were done using a recent research based on the use of a particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements ensuring very good agreement between numerical and experimental results. The current study showed that the partial closing of the opening between the harbor basin and the extended coastal zone, with a breakwater of length equal to 1/3 of the opening, seems to be the most acceptable technical solution.