2-D Coastal Hydrodynamic Model to Evaluate the Performance of the Abu Dhabi Shore Protection System

The main shoreline of the Abu Dhabi City Main Island is facing the Arabian (Persian) Gulf from the north-west side and is exposed to continuous current wave action. Therefore, a shore protection system was developed on this side from the Main Island. The shore protection system consists of onshore and offshore breakwaters, huge volumes of damped sand, and an artificial island known as the Lulu Island. In this study, the performance of the current shore protection system of Abu Dhabi City Main Island was evaluated using the Costal Graphical Wave (CGWAVE) 2D-hydrodynamic model. The model can simulate the characteristics of the waves when they approach the breakwaters or the shoreline. Our study has shown that the breakwaters manage to dissipate most of the wave energy before the waves reach the Lulu Island, whereas this island protects the Abu Dhabi City shoreline by creating an elongated sea area between the island and the shoreline that is devoid of any wave action. The constructed shore protection system was also efficient in controlling beach erosion and flooding by damping the wave energy.