Tests of wave shoaling and surf models in a partially enclosed basin

The present paper describes some field experiments and model simulations performed in Campese Bay on the Isola del Giglio, a coastal environment in the south of Tuscany. The work was performed as part of a NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC) project designed to develop an easily operable surf modeling capability for use within NATO. A pair of directional offshore buoys was deployed at the deep water boundary of the model domain and the directional spectra generated by these buoys were used as input for SWAN model simulations. SWAN output at the 5-meter isobar, was then used as forcing conditions for a 1-line surf model. Four Nortek Vector velocimeters were deployed in the nearshore very close to the surf zone at water depths between 1.5 and 3 meters. The data collected from these sensors is compared with the model results permitting us to evaluate how well surf-zone models based on simple momentum balances can be employed in more complex 2-D environments. The same data set will serve as a valuable calibration/validation tool with which to test 3-D nearshore circulation models (SHORECIRC).