6
Example Applications
In this chapter, three example applications of STWAVE are given. The
purpose of these examples is to demonstrate how the model can be applied and
provide sample problems that a new user can follow to learn the mechanics of
model application. The first example is wave transformation and wave-current
interaction at a complex coastal entrance on the East Coast. The second example
is wind-wave generation over a simple bathymetry. The third example is wave
transformation at a West Coast entrance channel using the files generated in SMS
following the procedure outlined in Chapter 5. The first and third examples
focus on wave propagation and the second example on wave generation (using
the source term options).
Example 1: Wave Propagation at Ponce de Leon
Inlet
The first example is based on a field site, Ponce de Leon Inlet, located on the
east coast of Florida. The nearshore bathymetry at Ponce Inlet is complex
because of the presence of the inlet, a navigation channel, jetties, and a large ebb
shoal. Tidal currents at the entrance can exceed 1 m/sec. Engineering problems
at Ponce Inlet that require information about the nearshore wave field include
scour in the inlet throat near the north jetty, erosion of the north spit in the
interior of the inlet, migration of the navigation channel, and possible breaching
shoreward of the north jetty. More information about Ponce Inlet is given in a
reconnaissance report by the U.S. Army Engineer District, Jacksonville (1993).
Also, a field-data collection program conducted at Ponce Inlet from September
1995 through September 1997 is documented by King et al. (1999). STWAVE
applications to Ponce Inlet are documented in Smith, Militello, and Smith (1998)
and Smith and Smith (in preparation).
Model input
Model parameters. Figure 11 shows the bathymetry contours within the
STWAVE modeling domain selected for Ponce Inlet. The offshore boundary
location is selected at an approximate depth of 18 m. This depth is chosen
because the bottom contours are fairly straight and parallel at this depth (out of
the influence of the ebb shoal) and because a wave gauge (designated as DWG1
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Chapter 6 Example Applications
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