On numerical modelling of waves, currents and sediment movement around Gurupur-Netravathi river mouth

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the investigations that were carried out to understand the coastal process along Bengre and Ullal at the Gurupur-Netravathi River mouth in the west coast of India. This river inlet was facing problems of migration and siltation since several decades and therefore two rubble mound breakwaters were constructed during the year 1994 as an intervention to maintain the inlet mouth. After the construction of these river training jetties, the inlet was stabilized, but severe erosion has been taking place along the Ullal spit on the south side of southern breakwater, since 1996 and heavy accretion on the North of Northern Breakwater along Bengre spit, which is now almost stabilized. This study has been undertaken to understand the hydrodynamics along the beaches adjoining the river mouth. For the present study, various field data was collected for the post monsoon season of 2006. The hydrodynamic (HD), Parabolic mild slope (PMS) and Sediment transport (ST) modules of MIKE-21 software were used to understand the hydrodynamics of the study area. Before the model was made use, it was first validated by using field data to understand the hydrodynamics of the area. Since the field data is of limited duration, data collected from the NMPT wave buoy for an entire year was used for the model simulation. From the studies it was confirmed that current direction and sediment movement follow a similar pattern in monsoon and pre-monsoon and a different pattern during post-monsoon. It is observed that the main cause of erosion is due to direct action of waves on the adjoining beaches of the coast and the beaches in the study area are generally in dynamic equilibrium with a small amount of erosion at Ullal. © 2010 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.