Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2025, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (4): 177-186.doi: 10.11978/2024199

• Marine Hydrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Experimental study on the influence of submerged breakwater on the wave characteristics of infragravity waves on coral reefs

LI Wei1(), QU Ke1,2,3(), WANG Chao1, YU Renshi1, ZHANG Ze1   

  1. 1. School of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Dongting Lake Aquatic Eco-Environmental Control and Restoration of Hunan Province, Changsha 410114, China
    3. Key Laboratory of Water-Sediment Sciences and Water Disaster Prevention of Hunan Province, Changsha 410114, China
  • Received:2024-10-21 Revised:2024-11-29 Online:2025-07-10 Published:2025-07-31
  • Contact: QU Ke
  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFC3103601); National Natural Science Foundation of China Key Project(51839002); Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation Project(2021JJ20043); "Practical Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ability Enhancement" Program of Postgraduates with Professional Degrees of Changsha University of Science and Technology(CLSJCX24033)

Abstract:

In the South China Sea region, several coral reefs have undergone land reclamation projects. However, due to their unique geographical environment, these islands and reefs remain highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as tsunamis and storm surges. Given the limited protective capacity of the reefs themselves, ensuring the safety of personnel and infrastructure on these islands remains challenging. Therefore, constructing coastal protection measures around them is of critical importance. This study investigates the influence of submerged breakwaters on wave propagation characteristics and wave run-up under infragravity wave conditions through wave flume tests, focusing on the regulatory effects of submerged breakwaters on hydrodynamic characteristics, mean water levels, and wave run-up. The results reveal that submerged breakwaters significantly alter the hydrodynamic properties of infragravity waves, inducing earlier wave breaking and amplifying low-frequency wave amplitudes in the reef flat region. At the same time, the impact of submerged breakwaters on the mean water level in the reef flat is closely related to variations in significant wave height and spectral peak period, generally leading to an increase in mean water level. However, as reef flat water depth increases or the breakwater is positioned further offshore, the mean water level tends to decrease. Additionally, low-frequency waves consistently dominate the wave run-up contribution, regardless of the presence of the breakwater. Nevertheless, with the breakwater moving closer to the island or an increase in reef flat water depth, the contribution of short-wave run-up becomes more pronounced, eventually surpassing that of low-frequency wave run-up.

Key words: coral reefs, submerged breakwaters, infragravity waves, hydrodynamic characteristics, mean water level, wave run-up

CLC Number: 

  • P731.22