Effects of Entrance Channel Dredging at Morro Bay, California
Abstract
The US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station 's Coastal Engineering Research Center was requested to provide technical assistance in engineering analysis and evaluation of two proposed channel enlargement plans for Morro bay, California. These plans were developed to alleviate the hazardous conditions present at the entrance. This report details the study and provides final results to CESPL. Significantly wave heights, periods, and directions taken from the Wave Information Studies' (WIS) hindcast data base were input into the Regional Coastal Processes Wave finite difference model and transformed to breaking conditions along Estero Bay. Southern swell data were taken from an offshore directional buoy moored near Los Angeles, California, during 1984-85 and similarly transformed. The resulting breaking wave heights, periods, and directions were used to calculate longshore flux factors for use in sediment transport computations. The final results of the study indicated that the frequency of wave breaking would decrease at the entrance after either improvement was implemented. However, the hazardous breaking wave conditions previously at the entrance would be present further inside the harbor. Additionally, these breaking waves would tend to be higher than those presently at the entrance, since increasing channel depth allows more wave energy to enter the harbor.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA214472
Entities
People
- Edward F. Thompson
- James M. Kaihatu
- Linda S. Lillycrop
Organizations
- Coastal Engineering Research Center