Wave modelling at the entrance of ports

Abstract

The objective of the present work was to develop and validate a flexible wave prediction system able to provide information about the wave conditions at the entrance of ports. Although the method is general, the present application addresses the major Portuguese ports, namely Leixões and Sines that are located in the northern and in the central part, respectively, of the Portuguese continental coast. A multilevel system for modelling the wave transformation (SWAN based) is implemented in the entire west Iberian nearshore and validated with buoy data. The ocean forcing is provided by WAM model simulations in an implementation over the entire North Atlantic basin. Both hindcast, nowcast and forecast schemes are evaluated and discussed. Focusing then on the two target areas, an analysis of some coastal processes such as diffraction and triad wave–wave interactions, as they are reflected in the simulations based on spectral models, is also performed. Finally, some average energetic and storm scenarios were also considered for the two harbours.