Wind-Driven Sea Surface Wave and Coastal Water Level Dynamics Across Different Spatial Scales

Wind-generated surface waves can propagate over long distances towards vulnerable coastal regions. Complex factors that impact the properties of surface waves, including wind, topography, and water levels, must be incorporated into numerical models to achieve accurate simulations of the wave climate. Predictions of the offshore surface wave conditions can inform projections of nearshore impacts in response to storms or sea level rise, such as flooding, erosion, and elevated groundwater, and aid the design limits of protective infrastructure, such as dykes. In this thesis, numerical models, physical models, and field observations are used to investigate surface waves and water levels at three scales: a coastal sea, a tidal bay, and a sandy beach. A numerical model is developed for the Strait of Georgia to investigate the influence of wind resolution on locally generated wave and storm surge. A finer scale numerical model is applied to Boundary Bay, a tidal flat within the Strait of Georgia, to simulate the combined surface wave and water level overtopping potential and intertidal reduction under future sea level rise scenarios. A series of high resolution, small-scale laboratory experiments are run to investigate the relationship between wave runup-driven infiltration into the subsurface and various beach properties. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of wind resolution in models with large domains and the error induced by model input uncertainty. Increased mean sea elevation is found to increase nearshore wave heights and heighten risk of infrastructure overtopping and changes to the intertidal zone. Detailed observations of surface wave runup on unsaturated beach face demonstrate how fluid infiltrates the subsurface and raises the phreatic surface. The overall findings of this thesis contribute to understanding and improving prediction of coastal hazards and nearshore impacts in response to storm events and sea level rise at different spatial scales.

Department dc:contributor.department

Civil Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Benoit, Delaney Michelle

Advisor dc:contributor.supervisor

• Mulligan, Ryan

• coastal
• engineering
• oceanography
• waves
• sea level rise

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1974/34197

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:queensu.scholaris.ca:1974/34197