PAPER NO: 222 Examining the Low Frequency Predictions of Boussinesq Wave Models

Significant advances have been made in extending the Boussinesq approach for modeling nearshore surface waves and breaking-generated horizontal circulation. The classic Boussinesq equations are valid only for surface waves in the weak dispersion limit. However, the improvements in the applicability of the Boussinesq theory have led to numerical models that are now capable of modeling wave propagation from relatively deep water to the shoreline, including nonlinear shoaling, refraction, diffraction, and wave-current interaction as well as energy dissipation and vertical vorticity generation due to wave breaking. Computational advances now permit the use of these models for large nearshore regions, and allow for the averaging of model results to predict mean flows near a shoreline \S0rensen et al, 1998; Chen et al, 1999]. More recently, Chen et al. [2000] demonstrated the capability of a Boussinesq wave model for the prediction of alongshore currents under field conditions.