A numerical model of wave overtopping on seadikes

This paper describes the development of a numerical model for wave overtopping on seadikes. The model is based on the flux-conservative form of the nonlinear shallow water equations (NLSW) solved with a high order total variation diminishing (TVD), Roe-type scheme. The goal is to reliably predict the hydrodynamics of wave overtopping on the dike crest and along the inner slope, necessary for the breach modelling of seadikes. Besides the mean overtopping rate, the capability of simulating individual overtopping events is also required. It is shown theoretically that the effect of wave breaking through the drastic motion of surface rollers in the surfzone is not sufficiently described by the conventional nonlinear shallow water equations, neglecting wave setup from the mean water level and thus markedly reducing the model predictive capacity for wave overtopping. This is significantly improved by including an additional source term associated with the roller energy dissipation in the depth-averaged momentum equation. The developed model has been validated against four existing laboratory datasets of wave overtopping on dikes. The first two sets are to validate the roller term performance in improving the model prediction of wave overtopping of breaking waves. The last two sets are to test the model performance under more complex but realistic hydraulic and slope geometric conditions. The results confirm the merit of the supplemented roller term and also demonstrate that the model is robust and reliable for the prediction of wave overtopping on seadikes. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.