A NEW HYBRID APPROACH IN THE CALIBRATION OF BOUSSINESQ-TYPE WAVE BREAKING MODELS

摘要

Wave breaking is one of the main forcing mechanisms in coastal hydrodynamics, driving mean water levels and currents. Understanding its behavior is key in the goal of improving our comprehension of coastal morphodynamics variations. One way to improve our understanding is through the use of numerical models, such as phase-resolving numerical models based on the Boussinesq equations (Kirby, 2016), which are modified to include breaking by the inclusion of a breaking criteria and a dissipation mechanism. Since there is not a universal law capable of characterizing the wave breaking, the existing models must be calibrated. Traditionally, this is done by adjusting wave height profiles and other free surface statistical parameters without explicitly considering the time-space location and duration of the breaking process. Consequently, it is possible to calibrate a model that accurately represents wave elevation statistics parameters, such as wave height and wave set-up; however, it might not necessarily represent the breaking location-duration and therefore, the forcing.