Experimental Research of Wave Transformation on Porous Coral Reef

Abstract

The influences of reef porosity on wave propagation over coral reef are studied by two-dimensional laboratory experiments. Detailed measurements of wave height and set-up over the reef are carried out under various particle sizes of porous media and incident wave conditions. A comparison of hydrodynamic characteristics between the porous reef and the solid reef is conducted. Based on Gourlay’s [1] model, a dimensionless analysis is conducted to describe the relationship between incident wave conditions and wave set-up over the porous reef.