WAVE OVERWASH ON A ROCK PLATFORM: REMOTE SENSING AND PRESSURE SENSOR OBSERVATIONS

Hannah E Power,Caio E Stringari,David J Hanslow,Murray J Kendall,Michael A Kinsela

doi:10.9753/icce.v36.waves.29

Abstract

Open ocean rocky shore platforms are typically exposed to high wave energy and are often the location of recreational activities from sightseeing and walking to fishing (Kennedy et al. 2017). The exposure of these environments, combined with the use for recreation, results in a high level of risk for those who use the rock platform. In Australia, for example, 19% of coastal fatalities occur on rock coasts, most commonly when individuals fall from microtidal semi-horizontal platforms into the ocean (SLSA, 2014a,b). Managing the hazards and resultant risk on rocky shore platforms requires a different approach to that taken for sandy beaches as the sites are typically remote. Here we explore the wave overwash hazards on a remote but high visitation rocky shore platform 40 km south of Sydney, Australia.

Highlights

Open ocean rocky shore platforms are typically exposed to high wave energy and are often the location of recreational activities from sightseeing and walking to fishing (Kennedy et al 2017)
Recent increases in visitation and visitor injuries have led to a project to develop a predictive model for wave overwash hazards at the site
For the period 29 March to 7 April 2017, two pressure sensors were deployed in the rock pools at the site that recorded continuously at 8Hz for the duration of the deployment

Summary

Introduction

Open ocean rocky shore platforms are typically exposed to high wave energy and are often the location of recreational activities from sightseeing and walking to fishing (Kennedy et al 2017). STUDY SITE The Figure 8 Rock Platform is located approximately 40 km south of Sydney, Australia and is exposed to open ocean swell (Figure 1; Kinsela et al, 2017).

Results

Conclusion