PART III: MODEL VERIFICATION 



General Comments 



44. Comparisons between model results and observed data were used to 

 verify the model. Both laboratory and field data were used in these tests. 

 The ability of RCPWAVE to simulate wave transformation outside the surf zone 

 was checked using data collected during a laboratory experiment conducted by 

 Berkhoff, Booy, and Radder (1982) and using prototype data obtained during a 

 field experiment at the CERC Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, North 

 Carolina. The next two sections describe these comparisons in detail. Fig- 

 ures pertaining to the laboratory and field verification are located in Appen- 

 dixes A and B, respectively. Only laboratory data were used to verify the 

 surf zone wave transformation part of the model. These data were collected 

 during one-dimensional flume tests performed by Horikawa and Kuo (1966) and 

 Izumiya (1984). Both experiments considered only breaking of monochromatic, 

 plane waves. The former experiment investigated wave transformation on a 

 plane beach only; the latter involved tests using plane, stepped, and barred 

 beaches. These comparisons are discussed in the last section. Figures per- 

 taining to the wave breaking verification are located in Appendix C. 



Elliptical Shoal Case: Comparison with Laboratory Data 



45. Berkhoff, Booy, and Radder (1982) performed a wave tank experiment 

 in which wave conditions resulting from the propagation of a monochromatic, 

 plane wave train over complex bathymetry were measured. The bathymetry con- 

 sisted of an elliptical shoal superimposed on a plane beach. This geometry is 

 shown in Figure A1. The shoal acts as a lens and focuses incoming wave energy 

 into a strong convergence zone. This experiment provided a set of data which 

 could be used to verify the ability of RCPWAVE to compute accurate solutions 

 to problems where refraction theory breaks down. Wave height data were col- 

 lected at many locations within this zone along the eight cross sections shown 

 in Figure A1. RCPWAVE was used to simulate the same experiment. Simulated 

 wave heights were then compared with observed data. 



46. A finite difference grid mesh, which measured 25 m in the 

 x-direction and 20 m in the y-direction was constructed. Rectangular grid 



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