NUMERICAL MODELING OF NEARSHORE CIRCULATION ON A BARRED BEACH WITH RIP CURRENTS

A nearshore circulation modeling system has been applied to a closed wave basin with a longshore bar and two rip channels. The major characteristics of the flow pattern have been established by the model including the recirculation cells, the feeder currents and the bias of the rip current toward the center of the basin. Wave current interaction is established as one of the significant mechanisms in the flow. The parameters for the eddy viscosity and the bottom friction have been shown to influence the stability of the flow. The flow is generally fluctuating and large vortex systems are formed. The model results are compared with the experimental data matching magnitudes of mean velocities as well as trends of oscillations.