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Abrupt depth transitions (ADTs) have been shown to induce the release of bound waves into free waves, which results in spatially inhomogeneous wave fields atop ADTs. Herein, we examine the role of free-wave release in the generation and spatial distribution of higher-harmonic wave components and in the onset of wave breaking for very steep periodic waves upon interaction with an ADT. We utilise a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model, making use of its ability to automatically capture breaking and overturning surfaces. We validate the model against experiments. The SPH model is found to accurately reproduce the phase-resolved harmonic components up to the sixth harmonic, particularly in the vicinity of the ADT. For the cases studied, we conclude that second-order free waves released at the ADT, and their interaction with the linear and second-order bound waves (beating), drive higher-order bound-wave components, which show spatial variation in amplitude as a result. For wave amplitudes smaller than the breaking threshold, this second-order beating phenomenon can be used to predict the locations where peak values of surface elevation are located, whilst also predicting the breaking location for wave amplitudes at the breaking threshold. Beyond this threshold, the contributions of the second-order and higher harmonics (second-harmonic amplitudes are up to 60% and sixth-harmonic up to 10% of the incident amplitude) cause breaking to occur nearer to the ADT, and hence the wave breaking onset location is confined to the region between the ADT and the first anti-node location of the second-order components. Counter-intuitively, we find that, at the point of breaking, steeper incident waves are found to display reduced non-linearity as a result of breaking nearer to the ADT., Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public., Environmental Fluid Mechanics

UK coasts are subject to widespread erosion in part due to the cumulative effect of human intervention on soft coastlines, and further threatened due to more rapid change due to climate change, especially sea-level rise. At the same time, Shoreline Management now requires predictions of coastal evolution up to 100 years in the future. This leads to the challenge of predicting coastal geomorphic behaviour at the mesoscale (10 to 100 km and 10 to 100 years). Currently, this is often based on expert judgement. However, relevant components for mesoscale coastal simulation are emerging, including: (1) new methods for system-level analysis of coast, estuary and offshore landform behaviour, which include engineering and management interventions in a consistent manner to natural drivers; (2) well validated ‘bottom-up’ hydrodynamic and sediment transport models such as POLCOMS and TELEMAC; (3) operational ‘reduced complexity models’ of selected coastal landforms (e.g., cliffs (SCAPE), estuaries (ASMITA), saltmarsh (SLAMM)); and (4) growing observational datasets that allow data-driven approaches to coastal analysis and prediction. The iCOASST Project will use these components to develop and apply an integrated systems modelling framework for mesoscale coastal simulation as explained in this paper.

The risks to human populations in coastal areas are changing due to climate and socio-economic changes, and these trends are predicted to accelerate during the twenty-first century. To understand these changing risks, and the resulting choices and pathways to successful management and adaptation, broad-scale integrated assessment is essential. Due to their complexity the two risks of flooding and erosion are usually managed independently, yet frequently they are interconnected by longshore exchange of sediments and the resulting broad scale morphological system behaviour. In order to generate new insights into the effects of climate change and coastal management practises on coastal erosion and flood risk, we present an integrated assessment of 72 km of shoreline over the twenty-first century on the East Anglian coast of England which is a site of significant controversy about how to manage coastal flood and erosion risks over the twenty-first century. A coupled system of hydrodynamic, morphological, reliability and socio-economic models has been developed for the analysis, implemented under scenarios of coastal management, climate and socio-economic change. The study is unique in coastal management terms because of the large spatial scale and extended temporal scale over which the analysis is quantified. This study for the first time quantifies what has for some years been argued qualitatively: the role of sediments released from cliff erosion in protecting neighbouring low-lying land from flooding. The losses and benefits are expressed using the common currency of economic risk. The analysis demonstrates that over the twenty-first century, flood risk in the study area is expected to be an order of magnitude greater than erosion risk. Climate and socio-economic change and coastal management policy have a significant influence on flood risk. This study demonstrates that the choices concerning coastal management are profound, and there are clear tradeoffs between ero