Vélez García, Francisco J.

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    Numerical modeling of wave-induced nearshore hydrodynamics in Rincón, Puerto Rico
    (2013) Vélez García, Francisco J.; Canals Silander, Miguel F.; College of Engineering; Segarra García, Rafael; Aponte Bermúdez, Luis D.; Department of Civil Engineering; Canabal Torres, Maria Y.
    Coastal erosion is one of the most important problems affecting the health of Puerto Rico’s coasts. The beaches of the town of Rincón, located on the western part of Puerto Rico, have been some of the most affected by coastal erosion in the last several decades. Previous studies have quantified shoreline erosion and beach morphology change; however, there have been no dedicated hydrodynamic modeling studies of the region to better understand the hydrodynamic wave-induced processes which may be dominating the sediment transport mechanisms in Rincón. In the present study, numerical wave modeling and field data collection was conducted to analyze the wave-induced hydrodynamics of Rincón. A fully nonlinear Boussinesq wave model, BOUSS-2D; was implemented for the region using wave forcing obtained from a directional wave buoy. The model was then validated using wave data from pressure sensors, and wave-induced current trajectories were compared qualitatively with surfzone trajectories obtained from simple GPS-tracked drifters. The BOUSS-2D model was then used to evaluate the potential role of the construction of the Rincón marina in altering the regional wave-induced current patterns, as well as to examine four different case studies representative of wave events for the region. Two of these case studies evaluated typical wave events for the area while the other two scenarios simulated very severe events, namely, the March 2008 swell and the wave event caused by Hurricane Dean in 2007. Using simple field observations of grain size and seabed morphology, the critical shear stress necessary to cause sediment suspension was calculated, and the results from the BOUSS-2D model were used to compute the wave-induced shear stress at the seabed. The computed nondimensional shear stress was then compared to the nondimensional critical shear stress to determine possible hot spots of sediment suspension in the area during significant wave events. The results of the present study suggest that the construction of the Rincón marina did not cause a significant alteration to the wave-induced currents patterns in the area and that it may not be the main cause of coastal erosion in Rincón. The shear stress calculations suggest that there may be very strong sediment suspension at the Bajo Blanco sandbar, and that the sediment transport mechanisms at Bajo Blanco may be much more important to the regional sediment transport mechanisms of Rincón than the potential effects of the marina construction.