Characteristics of Storm Waves in Laspi Bay (Black Sea) Based on Results of Numerical Modeling

A. Yu. Belokon*, V. V. Fomin

Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS, Sevastopol, Russia

* e-mail: aleksa.44.33@gmail.com

Abstract

This paper studies the characteristics of storm waves in Laspi Bay (Crimean Peninsula) using the numerical hydrodynamic model SWASH with a spatial resolution of 5 m. The wave reanalysis data obtained from the spectral model SWAN were set as boundary conditions. The fields of significant wave heights and wave current velocities in the bay were analyzed for storms of various regime conditions. It was established that the maximum values in the bay could reach 2.5–3.0 m, 4.0–4.5 m, 5.0–5.5 m and 6.0–6.5 m during storms that are possible once a year, once every 5, 10 and 25 years, respectively. An increase in wave velocities to 1.5–3.0 m/s occurred near the coast at depths of less than 10 m during storms that are possible once every 25 years. The influence of the protective breakwater, built in the 1980s, on the waves was local and manifested itself in the formation of a shadow zone on its downwind side. The possible influence of storm waves on the reduction of bottom vegetation in Laspi Bay was discussed. An analysis of the wave load on the bottom of the bay showed that during periods of extreme storms in its waters, the slopes most susceptible to the effects of waves were in the depth range from 2 to 12 m where the kinetic energy density increased to 500–2000 J/m3. At the same time, the density could reach 3000–4500 J/m3 in the western end of the bay. The energy load values were low in the middle part of the bay. Therefore, the disappearance of bottom vegetation here could be not due to storm impact, but an increase in water turbidity caused by anthropogenic factors. The obtained results are of great practical importance for the safety of navigation, engineering and exploitation of coastal infrastructure.

Keywords

storm waves, Black Sea, Southern Coast of Crimea, Laspi Bay, numerical modeling, SWASH

Acknowledgments

The work was carried out under MHI topic no. FNNN-2021-0005 “Coastal Research”. Calculations were carried out on the MHI computing cluster.

For citation

Belokon, Yu.A. and Fomin, V.V., 2024. Characteristics of Storm Waves in Laspi Bay (Black Sea) Based on Results of Numerical Modeling. Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (2), pp. 60–75.

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