Ocean wave transmission by submerged reef-A physical model study

Abstract

Ocean waves can be destructive as steeper waves due to their high energy eroding the sandy beaches. During storm surge or high tide, the water level rises and if large waves occur, they will break closer to the beach, releasing enormous amount of energy resulting in strong currents. This causes heavy loss of beach material due to large-scale erosion. If these waves are made to break prematurely and away from the beach, they can be attenuated so as to reduce beach erosion. The reef, which is a homogeneous pile of armour units without a core, breaks the steeper ocean waves, dissipates a major portion of their energy and transmits attenuated waves. This paper experimentally investigates the armour stone stability of the submerged reef and the influence of its varying distance from shore and crest width on ocean wave transmission. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.