New Fetch- and Depth-Limited Forecasting Curves Depending on Bed Roughness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Predicting wind waves within confined and shallow basins is very important, given the decisive role they play in the resuspension mechanisms of sediments and nutrients from the bottom, on which the main morphological and environmental changes depend. Pascolo, Petti, and Bosa (2019) proposed a set of wave forecasting curves for fully developed conditions in finite depth, which consider the bottom roughness as an additional variable, since it plays a fundamental role in the wave energy dissipation during the generation process. The present study incorporates and integrates the results previously obtained by Pascolo, Petti, and Bosa (2019) and provides the growth curves in the complete form, taking into account also the limitation on fetch. A numerical approach on a simplified domain has been adopted and statistical analyses on the fit of the curves to numerical results have been performed. The new set of equations confirms the variability of the wave heights and periods as a function of the bottom conditions, which can change due to the presence of bedforms, vegetation, or particle size differences. Applications at different conditions of depth, fetch, and roughness have been analyzed, in order to confirm the validity of the new growth curves.