Navigation projects involving coastal inlets are designed, operated, and maintained through complex morphologic features. The morphology evolves over time ranging from short-term, as in response to storms, to slow, gradual change caused by waves,currents, and changes in sea level. Because the hydrodynamics, inlet morphology, navigation channel, and longshore sediment transport are connected, navigation project maintenance and natural processes must be estimated to minimize channel dredging and to promote sediment bypassing, either by natural processes or through dredging-related activities. To meet the challenges of channel deepening nationwide and creation of new channels, quantitative predictive models must be available that can calculate navigation channel and morphology change and connect the processes to the channels and adjacent beaches for evaluation of alternatives in a sediment-sharing system. |
Description of Research