Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep Foreshores
As sea levels rise and extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, coastal urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to wave overtopping and flooding. Retrofitting existing vertical seawalls with retreated storm walls represents a key adaptive strategy, especially in the Mediter...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/7/1285 |
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| author | Damjan Bujak Nino Krvavica Goran Lončar Dalibor Carević |
| author_facet | Damjan Bujak Nino Krvavica Goran Lončar Dalibor Carević |
| author_sort | Damjan Bujak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As sea levels rise and extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, coastal urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to wave overtopping and flooding. Retrofitting existing vertical seawalls with retreated storm walls represents a key adaptive strategy, especially in the Mediterranean, where steep foreshores and limited public space constrain conventional coastal defenses. This study investigates the effectiveness of storm walls in reducing wave overtopping on vertical walls with steep foreshores (1:7 to 1:10) through high-fidelity numerical simulations using the SWASH model. A comprehensive parametric study, involving 450 test cases, was conducted using Latin Hypercube Sampling to explore the influence of geometric and hydrodynamic variables on overtopping rate. Model validation against Eurotop/CLASH physical data demonstrated strong agreement (<i>r</i> = 0.96), confirming the reliability of SWASH for such applications. Key findings indicate that longer promenades (<i>Gc</i>) and reduced impulsiveness of the wave conditions reduce overtopping. A new empirical reduction factor, calibrated for integration into the Eurotop overtopping equation for plain vertical walls, is proposed based on dimensionless promenade width and water depth. The modified empirical model shows strong predictive performance (<i>r</i> = 0.94) against SWASH-calculated overtopping rates. This work highlights the practical value of integrating storm walls into urban seawall design and offers engineers a validated tool for enhancing coastal resilience. Future research should extend the framework to other superstructure adaptations, such as parapets or stilling basins, to further improve flood protection in the face of climate change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fffc69781b0e414092e893011bd344d2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-fffc69781b0e414092e893011bd344d22025-08-20T02:45:42ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-06-01137128510.3390/jmse13071285Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep ForeshoresDamjan Bujak0Nino Krvavica1Goran Lončar2Dalibor Carević3Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Fra Andrije Kačića-Miošića 26, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaFaculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka, Trg braće Mažuranića 10, 51000 Rijeka, CroatiaFaculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Fra Andrije Kačića-Miošića 26, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaFaculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Fra Andrije Kačića-Miošića 26, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaAs sea levels rise and extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, coastal urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to wave overtopping and flooding. Retrofitting existing vertical seawalls with retreated storm walls represents a key adaptive strategy, especially in the Mediterranean, where steep foreshores and limited public space constrain conventional coastal defenses. This study investigates the effectiveness of storm walls in reducing wave overtopping on vertical walls with steep foreshores (1:7 to 1:10) through high-fidelity numerical simulations using the SWASH model. A comprehensive parametric study, involving 450 test cases, was conducted using Latin Hypercube Sampling to explore the influence of geometric and hydrodynamic variables on overtopping rate. Model validation against Eurotop/CLASH physical data demonstrated strong agreement (<i>r</i> = 0.96), confirming the reliability of SWASH for such applications. Key findings indicate that longer promenades (<i>Gc</i>) and reduced impulsiveness of the wave conditions reduce overtopping. A new empirical reduction factor, calibrated for integration into the Eurotop overtopping equation for plain vertical walls, is proposed based on dimensionless promenade width and water depth. The modified empirical model shows strong predictive performance (<i>r</i> = 0.94) against SWASH-calculated overtopping rates. This work highlights the practical value of integrating storm walls into urban seawall design and offers engineers a validated tool for enhancing coastal resilience. Future research should extend the framework to other superstructure adaptations, such as parapets or stilling basins, to further improve flood protection in the face of climate change.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/7/1285wave overtoppingstorm wallsvertical seawallsSWASH modelingcoastal adaptation |
| spellingShingle | Damjan Bujak Nino Krvavica Goran Lončar Dalibor Carević Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep Foreshores Journal of Marine Science and Engineering wave overtopping storm walls vertical seawalls SWASH modeling coastal adaptation |
| title | Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep Foreshores |
| title_full | Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep Foreshores |
| title_fullStr | Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep Foreshores |
| title_full_unstemmed | Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep Foreshores |
| title_short | Overtopping over Vertical Walls with Storm Walls on Steep Foreshores |
| title_sort | overtopping over vertical walls with storm walls on steep foreshores |
| topic | wave overtopping storm walls vertical seawalls SWASH modeling coastal adaptation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/7/1285 |
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