Field measurements of wave run-up on coastal structures with a pressure step gauge

Prof. Dr. Tarmo Soomere

A newly developed measurement system was transferred to Estonia and implemented for the first time on the slope of a rubble mound breakwater of the Kakumäe Marina. Also, a directional wave buoy was deployed for the measurement of waves, ca. 100 m in front of the structure.

The devices were successfully tested in different environmental conditions. The routines and procedures for the measurements and analysis have been developed and applied. The implemented approach can be adapted to other areas of interest with similar research topics. The field measurements will be continued during winter.

The broadening of knowledge on field measurements of waves and wave run-up on coastal structures in Estonia and Germany has been achieved, as another major aim of the project. Moreover, the foundations for future collaborations with other universities in Taiwan have been established which could help Estonians to set-up field measurement devices for the measurement of waves at the coast.

The success of the project is also reflected by the fact that the City of Hamburg has decided to start funding another cooperation project (“BRACER Coast”, with start in January 2021) between the project partners and to support the continuation of the field measurements.

Further information about the achieved aims of the project can be found on the home page of the Tallinn University of Technology as well as on the home page of the Hamburg University of Technology. Also the presentations “Description of Measurements in Haven Kakumäe, 2020” and “Field Measurements of Wave Run-Up on Coastel Structures with a Pressure Step Gauge” are available.

Waves and wave run-up have been measured in Haven Kakumäe, Tallinn since August 2020. The first joint analysis of waves and wave run-up during a storm event in September 2020 has been carried out at the institutes of the project partners in Estonia and Germany.

Direct:

TUHH, Institute of River and Coastal Engineering, 20 employees, ca. 150 B.Sc. and 50 M.Sc. students, 4 persons involved (project work)

TUT, Department of Cybernetics, Wave Engineering Laboratory, 13 employees, 20 MSc students, 3 persons involved (project work)

Indirect:

Local harbor authority and coastal protection authority of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, German,  engineering bureaus in Estonia and the city of Hamburg.  Approximately 20 persons.