REGIONAL COASTAL PROCESSES NUMERICAL MODELING SYSTEM 



RCPWAVE— A LINEAR WAVE PROPAGATION MODEL 

 FOR ENGINEERING USE 



PART I: INTRODUCTION 



1. The "Regional Coastal Processes Numerical Modeling System" research 

 work unit is part of the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Shore Protection 

 and Restoration research program. Its goal is the development of a modeling 

 system that can predict coastal processes on a regional scale so that coastal 

 changes resulting from natural forces and man-made structures and modifica- 

 tions can be determined on a regional basis. All important physical processes 

 that determine coastal changes over a region will be considered in the sys- 

 tem's development. Long-wave (e.g. tide and storm surge) hydrodynamics, 

 short-wave (e.g. swell and wind sea) propagation, and associated currents and 

 setup/setdown will be addressed. These wave phenomena will be used as forcing 

 functions to drive models which calculate alongshore and on- offshore sediment 

 transport. Sediment sources and sinks such as sediment discharge from rivers, 

 dredging gains or losses, and dune erosion will be considered in the sediment 

 models. The modeling system will provide a tool for predicting coastal ero- 

 sion and deposition, paths of sediment movement, and ultimate fates of coastal 

 sediments. 



2. All component models comprising the system must be capable of per- 

 forming regional scale simulations in a cost-effective manner. Regional scale 

 implies an area of interest with horizontal length scales of up to tens of 

 miles and simulation times ranging from days to years. These requirements im- 

 pose severe restrictions on candidate models. Individual models must also be 

 compatible so that they can interface with one another in an efficient manner. 

 Some examples of compatibility are (a) solutions from different models com- 

 puted at identical spatial locations and (b) input/output information common 

 to different models retrieved/stored using identical formats. 



3. A philosophy for development of the modeling system has been adopted 

 which provides direction to the work unit research. The aim is to develop 

 (and/or obtain) and link a series of models so that all important physical 

 processes are simulated to a predetermined level of sophistication. This 



