Field Observations and Model Predictions of Wave Transformation, Setup, Runup, and Turbulence on a Macro-tidal Beach, Korea

Abstract

Surf-zone wave dynamics are one of important driving forces in coastal morphology by inducing beach erosions and sediment transports in inter-tidal shallow water areas, due to active wave breaking, energetic turbulence and violent near-bed velocities. Morphological beach changes are also considerably associated with other surfzone hydro-dynamics such as nearshore wave transformation, water levels, wave run-up, setup and coastal currents. In earlier studies, the COBRAS model (a RANS model, developed by Lin and Liu of Cornell University) has been used to investigate such beach processes with reasonable success, mostly, in wave dominant micro-tidal environments. The model solves the RANS equations using VOF method and k-epsilon closure scheme. Recently, intensive field experiments were carried out at a macro-tide environment (i.e. the Mallipo sand beach located in the west coast of Korea, having a large inter-tidal range of 7 m to investigate the complicated surf zone hydro-dynamics under interactions of coastal waves, strong tidal currents, and nearshore bathymetries. The field observation data are used to evaluate the capability of the RANS model to predict the cross-shore variations of free surface, wave set-up, wave run-up, and velocities on the Mallipo Beach. Since the dataset of water surface elevations includes both waves and tides, the COBRAS model was tried to simulate waves acco