Coastal Wave Analysis for Seawall Design in the Gulf of Mexico

Geoscience provided a range of wave forces on a raised seawall for Overstreet Associates. Waves were modeled using the Coastal Modeling System with a design wave with Hm0 of 2.25m, Tp of 6.56 sec, base mean sea level depth of 3.5 m and wave angles of 20 to -60 (east to west directions relative to the normal of the shoreline). The wave values were selected based on a 20-year review of hourly wave conditions and water levels taken from the parent wave spectra location. The data was sourced from the NOAA Coastal Ocean Re-Analysis program (CORA). Wave forces were calculated using the Goda Formula for Forces on Walls from Breaking and Non-Breaking Waves and the Coastal Engineering Manual (CEM).