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- Title
On the Problem of Modeling the Boat Wake Climate: The Florida Intracoastal Waterway.
- Authors
Forlini, Carola; Qayyum, Rizwan; Malej, Matt; Lam, Michael-Angelo Y.-H.; Shi, Fengyan; Angelini, Christine; Sheremet, Alex
- Abstract
Quantifying and forecasting the impact of boat traffic on the health of coastal ecosystems must account for the multiscale nature of the process: from minutes (individual wakes), to days (tidal phase), weeks, and longer (tide modulation, seasonal traffic). Direct numerical simulations covering all these scales are difficult, not in the least because specifying the vessel type and navigation characteristics for every wake is practically impossible. To overcome this problem, we propose a statistical-mechanics description of the wake field that focuses on classes of wakes, defined by a set of characteristic parameters, and their joint probability density in the characteristic-parameter space. Here, we demonstrate the first steps of the approach using existing numerical tools and parametrizations. Because vessel type and navigation characteristics are not available, an investigation of wake parameter space is not possible at this time. Instead, we use the leading-order Froude-number parametrization defined by a linear model to classify the wake population observed during the field experiment. Numerical tests applying the FUNWAVE-TVD model across all wake-classes identified show excellent skills for weakly dispersive wakes. The model is challenged by the short waves generated by small, slow boats. However, simulations suggest that the problem is confined to the deeper water domain and linear evolution. Nonlinear wake shoaling, essential for modeling wake-induced sediment transport and wake impact on the environment, is described well. Plain Language Summary A significant challenge to developing methodologies for modeling and mitigating the threat posed by boat traffic to coastal ecosystems health is its multiple-scale character. The characteristic time of individual boat wake is in the order of minutes; sediment transport effects are modulated in tide time scales (days) and accumulated over seasons and years (traffic is seasonal). This process cannot be described boat by boat, no matter how accurately; beside the considerable effort required, in practice, it is impossible to specify the exact types and navigation characteristics for every boat comprising the traffic at any given time. Here, we propose an alternative statistical-mechanics approach: the boat traffic is described by the distributions of the boat population in some characteristic parameter space (e.g., length, draft, width, speed, etc). In this study, we begin to assemble the elements of such a statistical description. We study the distribution of the boat-wake population in the field using observations collected on the Florida Intracoastal Waterway. We test the applicability of a Boussinesq model (FUNWAVE-TVD). The model performs well across most of the population range; it is challenged by wakes generated by small, slow boats, but reproduces well processes essential for erosion and sediment transport.
- Subjects
MARITIME shipping &; the environment; COASTAL ecosystem health; TIDES; OCEAN circulation; OCEANOGRAPHY
- Publication
Journal of Geophysical Research. Oceans, 2021, Vol 126, Issue 2, p1
- ISSN
2169-9275
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2020JC016676