THEME 3: physical processes and innovation in modelling | CREST project

THEME 3: physical processes and innovation in modelling

  1. The widely used Longuet-Higgins & Stewart (1960) method for wave run-up calculations overestimates the long wave energy for a sloping bottom. Therefore, a correction factor has been designed based on parametrizations from semi-analytical solutions that significantly improves the prediction for large normalized bed slopes.
  2. Sheet flow modifies the hydrodynamics under waves because it leads to more significant wave dissipation than skin friction.
  3. Turbulence modelling in 3D computational fluid dynamics with standard linear interpolations and refined grids are incompatible with standard bottom boundary conditions. An alternative boundary treatment procedure has been designed to overcome these limitations.
  4. Modelling of particle-turbulence interactions remains a key issue in highly concentrated sediment transport modelling. A physics-based turbulence closure is essential for modelling energy dissipation due to sediment motion.
  5. A good basis for long-term simulation of mixed sediment transport is present in the 2D TELEMAC-TOMAWAC-SISYPHE coastal models. This is good news for management considerations that require large scale and long-term simulation of complex scenarios in reasonable time.
  6. The road to efficient and accurate design of the optimised coastal defence systems of tomorrow – Coupling numerical models enables complex modelling only where necessary: advantages of each model are preserved without suffering their individual downsides.
  7. Lack of public awareness equals lack of motivation among people to support, or even protest, changes in necessary landscape measures to improve coastal safety. Therefore, there is demand for a good visualisation and communication tool in Flanders that quickly conveys strong messages, condenses complex information, and engages the community in issues of environmental change.
  8. In order to make well-informed decisions, and because time is key during a flood disaster, tools that collect all relevant information to determine the extent of the flood event and its damage as quickly and accurately as possible must be available ahead of time.
  9. A cloud-based flood risk assessment tool with an object-relational approach, FLIAT, is developed, to improve the accuracy, calculation speed, ease of use, and possibilities for further development of the flood risk and damage assessment methodology in Flanders.
  10. If a predicted storm is more severe than anticipated, evacuation is necessary. In case available evacuation time is short, a vertical evacuation is preferred above the classical evacuation outside the flood area.