LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is aimed at introducing the student to the hydrodynamics and morphodyanics of the coastal region

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is aimed at making the student capable of formulating and solving the problems related to the propagation of sea waves from offshore to the shore considering the phenomena of refraction and diffraction and the interaction with the bottom (dissipative effects and sediment transport). Furthermore, the formation of the bottom forms and the morphology of the coast will be studied.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1: Stokes waves: Introduction - The evolution of a monochromatic wave: formulation of the problem - Small amplitude waves: the solution of the linear problem - Some characteristics of the small amplitude waves - Superposition of waves - Standing waves

2: Nonlinear effects: Introduction - Nonlinear effects on a progressive wave -
Nonlinear effects on a standing wave - Saintflou diagram

3: Refraction phenomena - The energy of a propagating wave and the energy flux - Group velocity: a kinetic interpretation - The phenomenon of shoaling - The equation of wave action - Wave rays and Snell’s law.
 

4: Diffraction - Helmholtz equation - Cases of engineering interest.

5: Viscous effects: the bottom boundary layer - The flow field and the shear stress in the boundary layer: the linear approach - Nonlinear effects and the generation of a steady current

6 : Shallow water waves - Introduction and Boussinesq theory - The solitary wave - Cnoidal waves - Edge waves

7: Depth-averaged equations for steady currents

8: The depth and time averaged equations - Introduction - Continuity equation - Momentum equation - Some preliminary simplifications - The radiation stress tensor

9: The phenomenon of wave breaking  - The set-down and set-up - The longshore current

10: The tides

11: The sediment transport

12: Coastal morphology

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Course notes available on request (send a message to:      paolo.blondeaux@unige.it)

Exam Board

PAOLO BLONDEAUX (President)

GIOVANNA VITTORI

FRANCESCO DE LEO

GIOVANNI BESIO (President Substitute)

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures

LESSONS START

look at the website of the Polytechnic School

Exam description

Oral exame

Assessment methods

The oral exam is aimed at verifying i) the mastery of the subject in general, ii) the understanding of the concepts and the different models illustrated during the course, iii) the ability to correctly formulate a mathematical model of the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic phenomena present near the coast.

Exam schedule