A Numerical Wave Model for the Refraction and Diffraction of Irregular Waves. Part II

Abstract

The numerical wave model CREON is developed to predict the propagation and transformation of wave properties in shallow water. In Gao et al. (1993), which is referred to as Part I in the following, a description is given of the theoretical and numerical treatment of the model. In the present report, we present various computational results. The model is applied to wave penetration behind breakwaters, to evaluate the combined effects of wave diffraction and directional spreading. The performance of the model in moving media such as currents is tested. The results of the model in case of a jetlike flow are discussed based upon the concept of ray theory. An extensive numerical investigation is carried out for the combined current-depth refraction in the tidal inlet of Texel. To assess the applicability to waves in a coastal area, two hindcasts are carried out in the Rhine estuary Haringvliet, where well-documented wave data are available for comparison. The model has a wide range of applicability and the test results show that the model has a reasonably good performance in various situations. However, results of a comparison with the spectral models HISWA and SWAN in the tidal inlet of Texel show much lower wave heights in the CREON computations. No simple explanation could be found for this behaviour, and field data are needed to verify the various computational results.