Cairo University

Coastal and Harbor Eng.

Faculty of Engineering

Fourth Year

Dept. of Irrigation and Hydraulics

2016

EXERCISE 1
Waves and water levels
Waves
(1)

The following table gives the hours of occurrence for the wave heights H(m)
from different directions at a location in deep water. Draw the wave rose
showing the prevailing wave direction.
Direction
H(m)

NE

SE

SW

NW

0.25-0.75
0.75-1.25
1.25-1.75
1.75-2.25
2.25-2.75
2.75-3.25
3.25-3.75
3.75-4.25
4.25

5856
5889
3001
1940
600
300
40
20
-

4600
5001
2881
1249
922
944
120
40
5

8977
6542
5744
4666
3112
900
455
90
18

4740
3222
1890
1550
800
450
99
81
-

4895
4222
3560
1560
921
465
110
66
-

1970
425
250
8
-

855
160
90
50
9
-

2669
1560
789
256
6
-

Waves & Water Levels

Exercise 1

Wave Analysis and Generation

(2) Below is a plot showing a wave at a water depth of 10 m. Find the
following:
a. The wave height and wave period.
b. The deep water wave length
c. The wave length of the wave shown in the plot.
d. The group celerity and wave power at the 10 m depth

(3) Draw the shape of a simple harmonic wave over 2 wavelengths for t = 0.0 sec
and t = 6 sec. The wave height is 3 m and the wave period is 10 seconds.

(4) Obtain the wave height and period in the first five waves of the below
wave record, using the zero up-crossing method and zero down crossing
method and compare the results.

(5)

The significant wave height at a particular site was found from observations
to be 3 m. Find the following (assuming a Rayleigh distribution):
a.
Average wave height, H1/10, Hrms
b.
Percentage of waves expected to exceed 3.3 m?
c.
What height is exceeded by 60% of the waves?

1-2

Waves & Water Levels

Exercise 1

(6) Below is a plot showing a Weibull distribution (=1.58) derived from a record of
peaks over threshold wave heights covering 39 years. The threshold wave height
= 1 m, and the total number of recorded waves is 6214. Find the following:
a. The exceedence probability of a wave height of 1.5 m.
b. The nonexceedence probability of a wave height of 4 m.
c. The wave heights for return periods of 25, 50 and 100 years.

(7)
-

Find Hs and Ts using the Jonswap equations for the following storms:
U = 20 m/s, F = 120 km and t = 5 hrs.
U = 15 m/s, F = 50 Km and t = 10 hrs.
U = 25 m/s, unlimited Fetch and t = 12 hrs.

(8)

The characteristics of wind blowing over a location in the middle of the

ocean where the fetch length is more than 500 Km in all directions is shown in
the Table below. Calculate the 100 Year extreme wave climate (Significant wave
height and period) at this location.
Direction
North
North East
East
South East
South
South West
West
North West

100 Year Wind

Speed (m/sec)
19
16
14
18
23
25
24
23

1-3

Storm Duration
(hr)
12
6
4
10
8
5
9
7

Waves & Water Levels

Exercise 1

Wave Transformation
(9) A wave train is propagating toward the coastline over a bottom topography with
straight and parallel contours and the wave crests are making an angle of 50o with
bed contours. The deep-water wave period and height are 8 s and 3 m,
respectively. Find the wave length, height and wave celerity at a depth of 16 m.
(10) A deep water wave of height 2.0 m and period 9 sec is refracted so that the
distance between the orthogonals is reduced to 60% of its value in deep water,
where the depth is 9.0 m. determine the wave height at this depth.

(11) Calculate the wave height at point A in the below figure for Two cases:
-

Hi= 2 m and T=8 sec, and o= 15o.

Hi= 2.5 m, T = 9 sec. and the angle between the incident wave at the breakwater
tip and the bed contours is 60o.

(12) Calculate the breaker wave height for a nearshore area where bed contours are
straight and parallel for a wave of period, T = 8 sec, deep water wave height, Ho =
5.0 m and the wave crests make an angle of 25 degree with the bed contours.

1-4

Waves & Water Levels

Exercise 1

(13) In the below Figure, a storm is blowing over an off shore an area and travels
nearshore. The nearshore bed contour lines are straight and parallel to shoreline.
The Wind speed in the offshore area is 15 m/sec, the storm duration is 4 hours, the
Fetch is unlimited and the direction of wind is 600 with the shoreline direction.
Find the following:
a. The deep water wave height and period resulting from the storm blowing
over the generation area.
b. Calculate the wave height at points A, B and C in the Figure, if the water
depth at C is 10 m.

1-5

Waves & Water Levels

Exercise 1

Water Levels

(14)
A coastal area has a minimum land level of +2.5 m CD and a beach slope of
1:75, it is subjected to the following:
HAT = +1.5 m CD.
Maximum wind speed of 30 m/sec and the angle between wind direction
and the perpendicular to the shoreline is 10o. the storm surge measured at
a location 60 m away from shoreline = 0.106 m
Breaking wave height = 4 m.

Check if flooding of this coastal area is expected.

(15)
Determine the fundamental period of oscillation for a closed basin that has
vertical sides and an average depth of 10 m and a dimension of 500 m. Repeat
the above calculation if the basin was open to the sea at one side.

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