Achilleas Samaras

Achilleas Samaras
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Achilleas verified their affiliation via an institutional email.
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Achilleas verified their affiliation via an institutional email.
Democritus University of Thrace | DUTH · Department of Civil Engineering

Civil Engineer PhD

About

70
Publications
15,707
Reads
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658
Citations
Introduction
I am Associate Professor of Maritime Hydraulics, Coastal & Harbour Engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering in Democritus University of Thrace. I have a PhD in Civil Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where I also acquired my Diploma and MSc in Civil Engineering, both with "Honours" and as a Valedictorian. My research interests focus on coastal and ocean engineering, including a particular interest in the dynamics of Watershed-Coast Systems.
Additional affiliations
July 2020 - present
Democritus University of Thrace
Position
  • Professor (Associate)
Description
  • Assistant Professor of Maritime Hydraulics, Port & Harbour Engineering
January 2014 - July 2015
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Position
  • Research Associate
December 2012 - November 2015
Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki
Position
  • Research Associate
Education
January 2007
University of Porto
Field of study
  • First CoastLab Teaching School
October 2006 - October 2010
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Field of study
  • Civil Engineering
October 2005 - October 2006
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Field of study
  • Civil Engineering

Publications

Publications (70)
Article
Full-text available
In the present work, an advanced tsunami generation, propagation and coastal inundation 2-DH model (i.e. 2-D Horizontal model) based on the higher-order Boussinesq equations – developed by the authors – is applied to simulate representative earthquake-induced tsunami scenarios in the Eastern Mediterranean. Two areas of interest were selected after...
Article
Coupled wave – 3D-hydrodynamics model runs are performed to investigate thermal discharge release to coastal areas by means of including nearshore effects of wave-current dynamics. The study area comprises the vicinity of a power plant at Cerano, in South Italy, where cooling industrial waters are released to the sea. The implemented model is calib...
Article
Full-text available
This work presents results on the simulation of the generation and propagation of ship-borne waves, using an advanced nonlinear dispersive wave model based on the higher order Boussinesq-type equations. The model includes a single frequency dispersion term, expressed through convolution integrals; it is adapted to represent ship-borne waves by adop...
Article
Full-text available
In the present work, the impact of climate change on coastal flooding is investigated through a set of interoperable models developed by the authors, following a modular modelling approach and adapting the modelling sequence to two separate objectives with respect to inundation over large-scale areas and coastal protection structures’ design. The m...
Article
The term "Watershed-Coast System" refers to the entities consisting of watersheds and the areas adjacent to their outlets, where sediment delivery from rivers and natural streams plays a key role in the evolution of coastal morphology. Climate change implications in these complex systems are projected to extend from morphological to ecological and...
Conference Paper
Harbour layout design is the first and most critical stage in port design by Civil Engineers, typically done using numerical models for the simulation of wave dynamics and hydrodynamics around and inside harbour basins. In a changing climate, engineers have to deal with an increasing number of uncertainties, due to the observed/ projected change in...
Conference Paper
The term “Watershed-Coast System” refers to the entities consisting of watersheds and the areas adjacent to their outlets, where the sediment supply from rivers and natural streams plays a key role in the evolution of coastal morphology (Samaras and Koutitas, 2014a). The study of the morphodynamics of such systems entails a large number of uncertai...
Conference Paper
In the present work, the numerical simulation of coastal flooding is investigated considering the synergy of fluvial flooding, storm surge and wave induced setup/runup. Two approaches are developed: the first one is based on a linear wave propagation model and a breaking wave induced circulation and setup (based on the Shallow Water Equations), whi...
Conference Paper
Peer-reviewed journal publications play a key-role in most stages of career development in academia. This role can be summed-up to three “axioms”: the more in number, the better; the higher the journal impact, the better; the higher the citation count, the better. This paradigm may have worked in the past, but has eventually led to a close-to-dysto...
Article
The tsunamigenic potential of an earthquake depends on its size, source depth and focal mechanism. The Hellenic Subduction Zone (HSZ) has been selected in the paper to study this important issue. The HSZ was ruptured by 11 strong (Mw6.0) earthquakes in the time period 2009–2023. One earthquake ruptured onshore but only three out of ten offshore ear...
Article
Full-text available
This work presents a new model for surf and swash zone morphology evolution induced by nonlinear waves. Wave transformation in the surf and swash zones is computed by a nonlinear wave model based on the higher order Boussinesq equations for breaking and non-breaking waves. Regarding sediment transport, the model builds on previous research by the a...
Conference Paper
This work introduces and presents for the first time a novel, “intelligent”, methodology for harbour layout design in a changing climate based on Advanced Numerical Models and Machine Learning. This methodology can be encoded, in brief, to the following: marine data acquisition/analysis and identification of design scenarios; harbour layout identif...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Surface aquatic ecosystems are among the most degraded habitats, as they are usually exposed simultaneously to several stressors with synergistic effects. Only about 40% of Europe's rivers reach the "good ecological status", a target set by the European Water Framework Directive, while providing various services that humans depend upon. Water scarc...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
In this paper, a time-dependent numerical model for the simulation of irregular multidirectional wave propagation and transformation in coastal areas, around and inside ports and harbours is presented. The model is capable of simulating the transformation of complex wave fields including shoaling, refraction, diffraction, total and partial reflecti...
Conference Paper
This work investigates the effect that earthquake fault model types and properties have on the numerical modelling of tsunami generation and propagation. This is done using a 2DH post-Boussinesq model, properly adapted to represent tsunami waves generated by dynamic bed deformations due to dip-slip faulting. Model runs are performed for fault model...
Conference Paper
Disaster losses due to natural and climate hazards are on the increase around the world. Coastal areas are among the most vulnerable to multiple hazards and host many of the hotspots that drive the aforementioned increase. Building resilient coastal communities is nowadays an imperative need, but it cannot be achieved without bridging the existing...
Article
Full-text available
The world’s coasts are being continuously reshaped by the interplay between natural- and human-induced pressures [...]
Article
Full-text available
The present work aims at developing a hydraulic simulation model for the aqueducts of Thessaloniki city in Greece to model the current operating state of the network, as well as its response to emergency conditions resulting from failure in one of them. Hydraulic simulations performed using WaterGEMS software in an extended period simulation (EPS)...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
This work presents results on the simulation of the generation and propagation of ship-borne waves, using an advanced nonlinear dispersive wave model based on higher order Boussinesq-type equations. The model includes a single frequency dispersion term, expressed through convolution integrals; it is adapted to represent ship-borne waves by adopting...
Article
Full-text available
The evolution of coastal and transitional environments depends upon the interplay of human activities and natural drivers, two factors that are strongly connected and many times conflicting. The urge for efficient tools for characterising and predicting the behaviour of such systems is nowadays particularly pressing, especially under the effects of...
Article
Full-text available
This work presents the results of the numerical study implemented for the natural area of Lido di Spina, a touristic site along the Italian coast of the North Adriatic Sea, close to the mouth of River Reno. High-resolution simulations of nearshore dynamics are carried out under climate change conditions estimated for the site. The adopted modeling...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
In this work, the 2DH post-Boussinesq model of Karambas and Memos (2009) is tested in the generation and propagation of tsunami and ship-borne waves. Model results compare well with analytical solutions and physical experiments presented by Hammack (1973), Mitsotakis (2009) and David et al. (2017), highlighting the model’s accuracy and versatility.
Conference Paper
The term Watershed-Coast Systems (WACS), coined by Samaras and Koutitas (2014a), refers to the entities consisting of watersheds of rivers/natural streams and the areas adjacent to their outlets where sediment delivery from the upstream is critical for the balance of the coastal sediment budget, thus playing a key role in long-term evolution of coa...
Conference Paper
In the present work, an advanced numerical model based on the solution of the higher-order Boussinesq-type equations for breaking and non-breaking waves is applied in order to simulate the impact of climate change on coastal flooding. The model is tested against two-dimensional (cross-shore) experimental data by Roeber at al. (2010), and is afterwa...
Article
Full-text available
In the present work, an integrated coastal engineering numerical model is presented. The model simulates the linear wave propagation, wave-induced circulation, and sediment transport and bed morphology evolution. It consists of three main modules: WAVE_L, WICIR, and SEDTR. The nearshore wave transformation module WAVE_L (WAVE_Linear) is based on th...
Article
Full-text available
The present work describes an operational strategy for the development of a multiscale modeling system, based on a multiple-nesting approach and open-source numerical models. The strategy was applied and validated for the Gulf of Taranto in southern Italy, scaling large-scale oceanographic model results to high-resolution coupled wave–3-D hydrodyna...
Article
Full-text available
Numerical modelling has become an essential component of today's coastal planning, decision support and risk assessment. High-resolution modelling offers an extensive range of capabilities regarding simulated conditions, works and practices and provides with a wide array of data regarding nearshore wave dynamics and hydrodynamics. In the present wo...
Article
The present work describes an operational strategy for the development of a multiscale modelling system, based on a multiple–nesting approach and open–source numerical models. The strategy was applied and validated for the Gulf of Taranto in South Italy, scaling large–scale oceanographic model results to high–resolution coupled wave – 3D hydrodynam...
Article
Full-text available
Numerical modelling has become an essential component of today's coastal planning, decision support and risk assessment. High resolution modelling offers an extensive range of capabilities regarding simulated conditions, works and practices, and provides with a wide array of data regarding nearshore wave- and hydro-dynamics. In the present work, th...
Article
Full-text available
Oil spill models are used worldwide to provide preventive measures in assessing risks of actual and potential damage to natural resources from spills, and also in assisting coastal facilities and local authorities in their strategic development of oil spill mitigation planning and response. Numerous oil spill simulation models exist in the bibliogr...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The present work investigates thermal discharge to coastal areas using TELEMAC-3D to simulate nearshore hydrodynamics, both standalone and coupled with TOMAWAC in order to include the effect of wave-current interactions as well. The study area is located in South Italy and comprises the vicinity of power plant at Cerano, near the city of Brindisi....
Article
Oil spills are a transnational problem, and establishing a common standard methodology for Oil Spill Risk Assessments (OSRAs) is thus paramount in order to protect marine environments and coastal communities. In this study we firstly identified the strengths and weaknesses of the OSRAs carried out in various parts of the globe. We then searched for...
Article
Full-text available
In the present work, an advanced tsunami generation, propagation and coastal inundation 2-DH model (i.e. 2-D Horizontal model) based on the higher-order Boussinesq equations – developed by the authors – is applied to simulate representative earthquake-induced tsunami scenarios in the Eastern Mediterranean. Two areas of interest were selected after...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Coastal boulders transported inland by high-energy events, such as tsunamis or storms, have been found along several coastal areas worldwide. The importance of these deposits relies on their implications on coastal hazard assessment, since they contribute to the identification of past events and to the study of their magnitude and characteristics....
Article
Longshore sediment transport (LST) rate is the most essential quantity to be defined in shoreline evolution models. Intercomparisons of different formulae on the basis of laboratory or field measurements of LST rate values are commonly found in literature; however, examples of comparison based on long-term shoreline evolution observations are scarc...
Article
Beach nourishment is one of the worldwide most common soft shore protection methods. However, the design of these projects is usually based on empirical equations and rules, leaving large margins of error regarding their expected efficiency. In the present work, an advanced wave and sediment transport numerical model is developed and tested in the...
Article
Oil–shoreline interaction (or “beaching” as commonly referred to in literature) is an issue of major concern in oil spill modeling, due to the significant environmental, social and economic importance of coastal areas. The present work studies the improvement of the representation of beaching brought by the introduction of the Oil Holding Capacity...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Oil spills pose a severe threat for the coastal and marine environment, due to their negative impact on ecosystems, habitats and human activities. Oil spill models simulate the processes that control the fate of oil spilled at sea and its interaction with different types of coasts (when attached to them), providing with estimates of the slick's tra...
Conference Paper
SOMMARIO Scopo di questo lavoro è presentare alla comunità scientifica italiana il progetto TESSA (http://tessa.linksmt.it/home) e le attività che il gruppo dell'Università di Bologna, insieme agli altri partner, quali CMCC e CNR-IAMC, sta conducendo all'interno di esso. Il TESSA (Programma PON 01_2823) "TEcnologie per la 'Situational Sea Awareness...
Article
Climate change is an issue of major concern nowadays. Its impact on the natural and human environment is studied intensively, as the expected shift in climate will be significant in the next few decades. Recent experience shows that the effects will be critical in coastal areas, resulting in erosion and inundation phenomena worldwide. In addition t...
Article
Coastal morphology evolves as the combined result of both natural- and human- induced factors that cover a wide range of spatial and temporal scales of effect. Areas in the vicinity of natural stream mouths are of special interest, as the direct connection with the upstream watershed extends the search for drivers of morphological evolution from th...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Oil-shoreline interaction (or "beaching" as commonly referred in literature) is an issue of major concern in oil-spill modeling, due to the significant environmental, social and economic importance of coastal areas. The amount of oil that reaches and stays at the shore, as well as the temporal characteristics of the involved processes –in short– de...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Wave and hydrodynamics modelling in coastal areas is nowadays an indispensable tool for both research and engineering/environmental design. The selection among the various available models is equally essential and should be done cautiously, taking into consideration both the models' capabilities and the actual modelling needs. In the above context,...
Article
Coastal areas are subject to various natural- and human-induced impacts affecting water quality and morphology evolution. Regarding the latter, its correlation with watershed processes is self-evident, as natural streams in many cases constitute the largest sediment source for the coastal environment. However, literature references that study concu...
Conference Paper
In the present work, the importance of watershed sediment modeling to coastal morphology is studied for a torrent watershed in Chalkidiki, North Greece. The impact of the land use changes that took place within the watershed on the overland and channel sediment transport, was simulated applying the SWAT model in GIS environment. SWAT was initially...
Conference Paper
In the present work, the impact of watershed processes to the coastal zone quality is studied for a typical sandy beach in the vicinity of a torrent mouth, located in Chalkidiki, North Greece. The shoreline evolution - attributed to the extensive land use changes in the upstream watershed - was studied using the numerical model PELNCON-M developed...
Conference Paper
The correlation between land use change in a hydrological basin and coastal erosion is studied in the present work. The study area is Fourka in Chalkidiki (North Greece). The means used are Geographic Information Systems, field measurements and numerical modeling, in order to estimate the extent of the land use change that took place and its impact...
Article
Full-text available
The impact of catchment management on coastal morphology is studied in the present work, focusing on land cover changes and their effect on erosive phenomena. The study area is located in Chalkidiki, North Greece, and comprises the catchment of the Fourka Torrent and the area adjacent to its mouth. There, the shoreline retreat of about 35m (at the...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose ‐ To study the impact of River Nestos (North Greece) dams construction on coastal morphology. Design/methodology/approach ‐ In order to study the evolution of the coastal morphology in the area, an "one-line shoreline change model" was developed (PELNCON). The model's input comprises the field characteristics, the wave characteristics at th...
Conference Paper
Coastal morphology alterations at the Nestos River estuary are studied in the present work, due to the three large dams’ construction at the sites of Dospati in Bulgaria and Thisavros / Platanovrysi in Greece. The above mentioned interventions’ impact is estimated using the commercial software package CEDAS, along with the processing of satellite i...
Conference Paper
The impact of river Nestos (North Greece) dams construction on coastal morphology is studied in the present work. Three large dams have been recently constructed at the sites of Thisavros, Platanovrysi and Temenos, affecting the sediment supply and the littoral budget in a coastal area of great ecological interest. River Nestos Delta, due to its bi...
Conference Paper
In this paper, a numerical/computational model simulating the transport and spread of an oil spill is presented, combined with a hydrodynamic model, in order to monitor an oil spill’s impact on coastal areas. The advection-diffusion equation is applied to describe the transport of the oil, also including the evaporation process. The model is useful...
Conference Paper
In this paper, a numerical model simulating the transport and fate of an oil spill is presented, coupled with a quasi-3D hydrodynamic model, in order to track the movement and spreading of the oil slick and indicating the impact on coastal areas. For the transport of the oil phase in the water column the advection-diffusion equation is applied, in...

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