Infragravity Wave Motions in the Scheldt Region

This study focuses on the infragravity (IG) waves at 5 measurement sites (Brouwershavense Gat 2 (BG2), Oosterschelde 4 (OS4), Cadzand, Hansweert and Bath) in the Scheldt region, examining their characteristics in these waters as well as to what extent they can be modelled using SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore). To facilitate this, data...

Predicting erosion of vegetated dunes during hurricanes: Assessing the representation of vegetation effects in XBeach

Coastal dunes serve as the primary defence mechanism against coastal storms for many coastal communities around the world. Vegetation plays a role in increasing dune resiliency as it enables dune growth, however not enough is known about its effects during storms. Research has shown that the current climate crisis will increase the intensity of...

Investigation of Morphological Changes along the South West Texel Coastline and the Initial Response of a Mega Nourishment

In 1990 the Dutch government passed legislation that dictates the South West Texel coast must be maintained with regard to the 1990 coastline. The coast is currently maintained by applying shoreface and beach nourishments with an interval of approximately 3 years, because it experiences erosion. The problems with this approach are that the...

Numerical modeling of wave transmission over a living breakwater

Living Breakwaters have evolved from traditional breakwaters to create multi-purpose structures that provide environmental and social benefits. These breakwaters promote a healthy habitat for flora and fauna, while achieving the same structural capabilities as conventional structures. Reefy has developed a modular living breakwater that can...

Changes in runup characteristics between swash and collision conditions: a Field Study

Estimating wave runup is of crucial importance during a coastal risk assessment. Currently, runup levels are usually calculated using empirical formula derived from experiments conducted at beaches all over the world, and during different beach states. During this research, conditions are analyzed where runup reaches the dune toe and above. The...

Free Infragravity Waves and their Effect on Coastal Dune Safety

The coastal safety of the dunes are of high importance for low laying countries (Chen et al., 2017). This is especially true for the Netherlands as it is used officially as a safety measure against flooding from extreme weather since 1984 (Rijkswaterstaat, 1989). As of current 1D modelling of the waves is an acceptable method for the Dutch coast...

Coastal Erosion at Spratt Bight Beach, San Andrés: A study on its cause and the applicability of the Building with Nature approach

San Andrés is a Colombian-Caribbean Island located 800 km from the Colombian coast. On its Eastern side there is a barrier reef formation protecting the island from offshore incident waves. Due to the protected environment created by the coral reef, sandy beaches can be formed on the East side of the island. <br/>During normal conditions, waves...

Hoist the flag: A boundary rip current case study on swimmer safety in the Scheveningen harbour area

Each year several fatalities due to rip currents are reported in the Netherlands. One of these accidents was during May 11th in 2020 near the Scheveningen harbour, were several surfers lost their lives. During the hydrodynamic and meteorological accident were quite severe, with a significant wave height of 3.0m and wind speeds of 11 m/s, which...

New method to measure dune erosion processes using a mobile, contained environment on a real beach

The Netherlands has 254 km of coastline that is covered with sandy dunes. As these dunes function as primary flood defences, intensive research has been conducted into dune erosion in recent years. This research mainly took place in laboratories, because all boundary conditions could be controlled and measurements could take place very...

Effect of an artificial oyster reef on wave attenuation

An increasing amount of the worlds coastal regions suffer from structural erosion due to anthropogenic influences. A prime example for this phenomenon is the Oosterschelde, Netherlands, where the partial closure of an estuary lead to a decline of the local intertidal flats, threatening the valuable functions they provide as an ecosystem and for...

Impact of Free Long Waves on Dune Erosion Predictions in Numerical Modelling

This report presents the methodology and findings of a study on the impacts of free long waves on dune erosion predictions in XBeach. In this paper a distinction is made between two types of infragravity waves: bound infragravity waves and free infragravity waves. Bound infragravity waves are generated by short-wave group forcings and are bound...

CFD modelling: The interaction between extreme waves and a lighthouse upon a shoal

Lighthouses are structures subjected to extreme weather conditions which have to resist strong surge. Therefore to ensure their survival over time, it is necessary to determine the loads that these structures will face during its lifetime. However, load prediction on lighthouses is troublesome due to the multiple factors that affect the loading....

Comparison of Currents derived from X-band Radar and collected In-situ Data in Ameland Inlet

Velocities derived from X-band radar were compared to depth averaged ADCP measurements in a complex tidal inlet system at Ameland, the Netherlands. Inclusion of depth assimilation and ensemble averaging in radar calculations led to smaller differences between ADCP and radar. The observed differences were clustered and related to water level...

The effect of wave directional spread on coastal hazards at coastlines fronted by a coral reef

Many coastlines fronted by a coral reef are threatened by wave driven flooding. For this reason, waves in coral reef environments has been topic of many studies. However, most are focused on a 1D simplification of the coral reef environment. These studies neglect the impact of 2D processes, for example wave directional spread. In this study an...

The influence of incident waves on runup: A comparison between a phase-averaged and a phase-resolving XBeach model

Wave runup is generated by energy which remains after wave breaking and travels farther to the coast in the form of a bore. It can be seen as a thin wedge of water running up the beach face (Brocchini and Baldock, 2008). Under storm conditions runup is responsible for beach and dune erosion and accurate runup predictions are therefore required ...

The influence of the Sand Engine on the sediment transports and budgets of the Delfland coast: Analysis of bi-monthly high-resolution coastal profiles

The Sand Engine is a new innovation in coastal protection, a mega feeder nourishment. This pilot project was constructed in 2011 along the Delfland coast, which is historically prone to erosion. Since its construction, the Sand Engine is intensively being monitored to track the morphological development.<br/><br/>The objective of this thesis is...