Collaborative Research: Modeling wave breaking onset and dissipation in energy-conserving models for surface waves

波浪破碎是一个重要的过程，它影响着各种海洋和海岸科学与工程问题，无论是在近海还是在近岸，都具有重要的社会意义。本研究将开发用于检测波浪破碎起始、破碎条件和波浪破碎引起的能量耗散的算法，以用于相位分辨海浪传播模型。将根据最近的高保真数值模拟以及实验室和现场数据进行广泛的验证和敏感性分析。开发的配方的鲁棒性也将与现有的断裂模型进行比较。除了开发的参数化，这项研究将量化的不确定性与各种参数化的波破碎的业务相分辨波模型。风暴条件下的模型-现场数据比较将通过更好地识别风暴和极端事件期间的模型技能和不确定性而使沿海工程界受益。 这项工作将改进在相位分辨波浪模型中对破碎波的发生和严重程度的预测，从而：（一）更准确地表示波浪强迫（对海流、沉积物过程、海气相互作用等）。（ii）改进沿海和海洋结构及船舶设计的设计分析和安全。更好地预测能量/风暴事件期间的破坏过程和影响，也将通过改进沿海复原力战略使公众受益。华盛顿大学（UW）的一名初级科学家，首席PI，将由更高级的共同PI指导，这将帮助他过渡到永久任命。该项目将支持特拉华州大学的一名女研究生，她将由PI共同提供咨询。本文提出了一种新的、统一的、鲁棒的闭合模式，用于相分辨的、能量守恒的表面波模式中波浪破碎的发生和发展的参数化，适用于Boussinesq（常用于浅水）和高阶谱（HOS，常用于深水）模式。拟议的工作的动机，并建立在最近获得的结果，使用高保真数值模拟，建立了一个单独的波峰的发病和强度的破碎，可以确定完全从局部属性的不断发展的波峰，因为它接近打破在任意深度。新的闭合模型将通过提供一种适应单个波峰的公式来改进现有方法，而不是根据波列的一般特征进行校准。将针对最近的高保真数值模拟、可用的实验室实验以及风暴条件下最近和正在进行的现场观测，对拟议的破坏闭合模型进行广泛的验证和敏感性分析。后者的数据及其在数值模拟中的使用都是相当新颖的，并且将建立独特的模型-场数据比较程序，因为它需要使用波场重建算法初始化相位分辨模型。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Wave breaking is a crucial process affecting a variety of ocean and coastal science and engineering problems both offshore and in the nearshore of great societal importance. This study will develop algorithms for the detection of wave breaking initiation, breaking conditions, and energy dissipation due to wave breaking, for use in phase-resolving ocean wave propagations models. Extensive validation and sensitivity analysis will be performed against recent high-fidelity numerical simulations and laboratory and field data. The robustness of the developed formulations will also be compared with existing breaking models. In addition to developing the parametrizations, this study will quantify uncertainties associated with various parametrizations of wave breaking in operational phase-resolving wave models. The model-field data comparison during storm conditions will benefit the coastal engineering community by better identifying model skill and uncertainty during storms and extreme events. The work will improve predictions of the occurrence and severity of breaking waves in phase-resolving wave models leading to: (i) a more accurate representation of wave-forcing (on currents, sediment processes, air-sea interactions, etc.) over a range of water depths, including the inner shelf, the surf zone, and river mouths; (ii) improved design analyses and safety for coastal and ocean structures and ship design. A better prediction of breaking processes and impacts during energetic/storm events will also benefit the public through improved strategies for coastal resilience. A junior scientist at the University of Washington (UW), the lead PI, will be mentored by the more senior co-PIs, which will help him transition to a permanent appointment. The project will support a female graduate student at the University of Delaware, who will be co-advised by the PIs. Outreach will be conducted at the annual "Discovery Days" event at the University of Washington.A new, unified, and robust closure model for parameterization of the onset and progression of wave breaking in phase-resolving, energy-conserving surface wave models is proposed, applicable to Boussinesq (commonly used in shallow water) and High-Order Spectral (HOS, commonly used in deep water) models. The proposed work is motivated by and builds on recent results obtained using high-fidelity numerical simulations, which establish that the onset and strength of breaking of an individual wave crest can be determined solely from local properties of the evolving crest as it approaches breaking in arbitrary depth. The new closure model will improve on existing methods by providing a formulation that is adaptive to individual wave crests, as opposed to being calibrated based on the general features of the wave train. Extensive validation and sensitivity analysis of the proposed breaking closure model will be performed against recent high-fidelity numerical simulations, available laboratory experiments, and recent and ongoing field observations during storm conditions. Both the latter data and its use in numerical modeling are quite novel and will establish a unique model-field data comparison procedure as it requires initialization of the phase-resolving model using a wave field reconstruction algorithm. The robustness of the proposed breaking closure model will also be compared with existing breaking models.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.