Experimental study on the hydrodynamics of regular breaking waves

This paper illustrates the results of experimental research carried out in the wave flume of the Water Engineering and Chemistry Department laboratory of Bari Technical University (Italy) and based on the analysis of three different regular waves breaking on a sloping bottom. The investigation refers particularly to the surf zone, with the aim to develop two themes: the study of velocity and Reynolds shear stress distributions in the shoaling zone of a regular wave field and the study of turbulence in the breaking region, observing that these two aspects greatly influence many coastal processes, such as undertow currents, sediment transport and action on maritime structures. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.