Pablo Higuera

University of Auckland · Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Tsunamis can be generated by a moving atmospheric pressure disturbance. The 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami demonstrated the global relevance of such a tsunami generation mechanism. The generated locked and free waves are often scattered by bathymetric variations and coastlines, generating more free waves and resulting in a complex wave fi...

As the sea level rises, coastal flooding is predicted to increase worldwide. One of the processes contributing to estimating coastal flooding is wave setup (combined with swash), which accounts for the effect of breaking waves on water levels. Defined as the superelevation of the mean water level due to breaking waves (Longuet-Higgins and Stewart,...

We applied machine learning to improve the accuracy of present predictors of wave setup. Namely, we used an evolutionary-based genetic programming model and a previously published dataset, which includes various beach and wave conditions. Here, we present two new wave setup predictors: a simple predictor, which is a function of wave height, wavelen...

Employing a linear shallow water equation (LSWE) model in the spherical coordinates, this paper investigates the tsunami waves generated by the atmospheric pressure shock waves due to the explosion of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai on 15 January 2022. Using the selected 59 atmospheric pressure records in the Pacific Ocean, an empir...

Both one-dimensional in the horizontal direction (1DH, dispersive and non-dispersive) and two-dimensional in the horizontal direction (2DH) axisymmetric (approximate, non-dispersive) analytical solutions are derived for water waves generated by moving atmospheric pressures. For 1DH, three wave components can be identified: the locked wave propagati...

We applied machine learning to improve the accuracy of present predictors of wave setup. Namely, we used an evolutionary-based genetic programming model and a previously published dataset, which includes various beach and wave conditions. Here, we present two new wave setup predictors, a simple predictor, which is a function of wave height, wavelen...

Employing a linear shallow water equation (LSWE) model in the spherical coordinates, this paper investigates the tsunami waves generated by the atmospheric pressure shock waves due to the explosion of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai on January 15, 2022. Using the selected 59 atmospheric pressure records in the Pacific Ocean, an empi...

Both 1DH (dispersive and non-dispersive) and 2DH axisymmetric (approximate, non-dispersive) analytical solutions are derived for water waves generated by moving atmospheric pressures. In 1DH, three wave components can be identified: the locked wave propagating with the speed of the atmospheric pressure, $C_p$, and two free wave components propagati...

The causes of 2018 Palu Bay (Indonesia) tsunami are still not entirely clear. There is still an ongoing debate on whether the main cause of the tsunami waves observed was a significant co-seismic tectonic event which occurred underwater or whether it was the multiple landslides detected along the coast and triggered by the earthquake. Data from the...

Aotearoa New Zealand faces considerable risk from climate change as sea-level rise threatens coastal communities and infrastructure. Although seawalls can potentially provide an effective and efficient defence against sea level rise and coastline retreat, their effect on the long-term beach sediment budget is difficult to quantify. The adverse effe...

Tsunami pose a significant risk to many urban centres in New Zealand. Having methods to assess the extent and flow regimes of tsunami allow the development of appropriate mitigation measures. Simulation of tsunami inundation using numerical methods has typically been undertaken assuming a bare-surface terrain with roughness coefficients applied bas...

In this paper the runup of a train of successive solitary waves is studied. Using a wavemaker with 5-meter stroke, a series of evenly-spaced solitary waves, up to nine, is generated in a wave flume. These solitary waves shoal and run up on a 1 on 10 slope. The nonlinearity parameter, i.e., the wave height to water depth ratio, ranges between 0.11 a...

The causes of 2018 Palu bay (Indonesia) tsunami are still not entirely clear. There is still an ongoing debate on whether the main cause of the tsunami waves observed was a significant co-seismic tectonic event which occurred underwater or whether it were the multiple landslides detected along the coast and triggered by the earthquake. Data from th...

This paper presents ISOPE’s 2020 comparative study on the interaction between focused waves and a fixed cylinder. The paper discusses the qualitative and quantitative comparisons between 20 different numerical solvers from various universities across the world for a fixed cylinder. The moving cylinder cases are reported in a companion paper as part...

This paper presents numerical modelling results of the interaction between a group of steep waves and a fixed vertical cylinder performed with a one-way coupled hybrid model. A set of experimental data is used to benchmark the accuracy of the modelling results. The wavemaker signal generated in the physical experiments is used to reproduce the inci...

In this paper, we investigate the sources for Palu Bay tsunamis, which occurred in September 2018 after a Mw 7.5 earthquake struck on a strike-slip fault. Previous land-based field studies have identified numerous coastal landslides as possible sources for tsunami generation. Here, we present new post-earthquake bathymetry survey data in the bay. W...

In this work we review the most common methods for absorbing waves in Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. The limitations of active wave absorption, originating from its initial assumption of linear wave theory in shallow waters are overcome and the range of applicability is extended to any relative water depth conditions by re-deriving...

This paper presents numerical modelling results of the interaction between a group of steep waves and a fixed vertical cylinder performed with a one-way coupled hybrid model. A set of experimental data is used to benchmark the accuracy of the modelling results. The wavemaker signal generated in the physical experiments is used to reproduce the inci...

We investigated, from two laboratory experiments, the kinematic behavior and the three-dimensional turbulence that is generated due to a breaking solitary wave propagating over irregular shallow water bathymetry. The bathymetry was composed of a deep water region followed by a shallow shelf via a relatively steep slope. The offshore boundary of the...

Tsunamis are very large transient sea waves usually produced by submarine earthquakes or landslides. When these waves reach coastal areas, they can cause severe damage and losses. The aim of this study is to extend the knowledge on tsunami inundation processes by reproducing realistic physical and numerical tsunami surf and swash flows. The experim...

To meet the demands of practicing engineers for realistic-scale engineering problems, the authors propose a new and fast wave proxy approach for wave-structure interaction. In this approach, a rigid FDEM version-SOLIDITY_R is employed to simulate structure-structure (e.g. armour unit) interaction. Hydraulic forces on units are calculated by the sur...

As an example of multipurpose utilization of marine structures, the hydrodynamic performance of an offshore-stationary Oscillating Water Column (OWC) device with an immersed horizontal bottom plate was investigated through both experimental tests and numerical simulations. Based on the open source package OpenFOAM and toolbox waves2Foam, the numeri...

Results from Blind Test Series 1, part of the Collaborative Computational Project in Wave Structure Interaction (CCP-WSI), are presented. Participants, with a range of numerical methods, simulate blindly the interaction between a fixed structure and focused waves ranging in steepness and direction. Numerical results are compared against correspondi...

The paper considers the application of two numerical models to simulate the evolution of steep breaking waves. The first one is a Lagrangian wave model based on equations of motion of an inviscid fluid in Lagrangian coordinates. A method for treating spilling breaking is introduced and includes dissipative suppression of the breaker and correction...

In this paper an example of a symbiotic combination of marine structures is studied. The base hydrodynamic performance of a traditional offshore oscillating water column (OWC) device is compared against the case in which it is constructed over a submerged breakwater. Numerical simulations are performed with the open source package OpenFOAM and the...

In this paper, an example of a symbiotic combination of marine structures is studied. The base hydrodynamic performance of a traditional offshore oscillating water column (OWC) device is compared against the case in which it is constructed over a submerged breakwater. Numerical simulations are performed with the open source package OpenFOAM and the...

Results from Blind Test Series 1, part of the Collaborative Computational Project in Wave Structure Interaction (CCP-WSI), are presented. Participants , with a range of numerical methods, simulate blindly the interaction between a fixed structure and focused waves ranging in steepness and direction. Numerical results are compared against correspond...

In this paper we study the physical processes of regular wave trains impacting on a perforated breakwater. The breakwater consists of an array of vertical rectangular columns and a backwall. We have performed numerical simulations in which reflection coefficients have been calculated based on the Mansard and Funke (1980) theory and compared with la...

In this paper we study the swash processes generated by a nonbreaking solitary wave running up and down a steep slope (1:3). We use experimental data to study flow features and velocities inside the boundary layer, and numerical modelling to investigate variables not measured during the laboratory experiments, such as pressures and bottom shear str...

As an example of multipurpose utilization of marine structures, the hydrodynamic performance of an offshore-stationary Oscillating Water Column (OWC) device with an immersed horizontal bottom plate was investigated through both experimental tests and numerical simulations. Based on the open source package OpenFOAM and toolbox waves2Foam, the numeri...

The paper considers the application of two numerical models to simulate the evolution of steep breaking waves. The first one is a Lagrangian wave model based on equations of motion of an inviscid fluid in Lagrangian coordinates. A method for treating spilling breaking is introduced and includes dissipative suppression of the breaker and correction...

In this work we review the most common methods for absorbing waves in Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. The limitations of active wave absorption, originating from its initial assumption of linear wave theory in shallow waters are overcome and the range of applicability is extended to any relative water depth conditions by re-deriving...

The main goal of this paper is to provide insights into swash flow dynamics, generated by a non-breaking solitary wave on a steep slope. Both laboratory experiments and numerical simulations are conducted to investigate the details of runup and rundown processes. Special attention is given to the evolution of the bottom boundary layer over the slop...

Results submitted for the blind test challenge organised by CCP-WSI (2017) are presented in the article. Two numerical models are used to simulate physical experiments of wave groups interacting with a fixed FPSO-like structure. Specifically, the propagation of the waves is modelled with a Lagrangian 2D model, while the 3D wave-structure interactio...

A new methodology is proposed for the generation of breaking focused waves in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The application of the methodology is illustrated for a numerical flume with a piston-type wavemaker built in the CFD model olaFlow. Accurate control over the spectral characteristics of the wave group near the inlet and the...

Engineering solutions are widely used for the mitigation of flood and erosion risks and have new challenges because of the expected effects induced by climate change in particular sea level rise and increase of storminess.This chapter describes both active methods of mitigation based on the reduction of the incident wave energy, such as the use of...

In this work the numerical model IHFOAM is extended to incorporate moving-boundary wave generation and absorption capabilities. The goal is to obtain a solver that includes free surface flow through porous media, able to replicate the wave generation procedures of physical wave basins. For this purpose a new boundary condition to mimic the action o...

The purpose of the European Flooding Directive (2007/60/CE) is to establish a European framework for the assessment and management of flood risks. The aim is to reduce the adverse flooding consequences on a wide range of topics such as human health, environmental and cultural heritage, and economic activity. In Spain, coastal zone flood hazard and...

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the interaction of waves with piles. A model called IH-FOAM, based on OpenFOAM® , is used. IH-FOAM is able to simulate and to absorb waves in three-dimensional domains, reducing the computational cost and extending the range of applicability of the CFD modelling to the study of offshore and coastal struct...

The present paper and its companion (Higuera et al., 2012) introduce OpenFOAM® as a tool to consider for coastal engineering applications as it solves 3D domains and considers two-phase flow. In this first paper, OpenFOAM® utilities are presented and the free surface flow solvers are analysed. The lack of specific boundary conditions for realistic...

In the present work, the OpenFOAM® newly developed wave generation and active absorption boundary condition presented in the companion paper (Higuera et al., submitted for publication) is validated. In order to do so the simulation of some of the most interesting physical processes in coastal engineering is carried out and comparisons with relevant...

This paper and its companion Higuera et al. (2014--this issue) introduce the formulation of Volume-Averaged Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (VARANS) equations in OpenFOAM® to simulate two-phase flow through porous media. This new implementation, so-called IHFOAM, corrects the limitations of the original OpenFOAM® code. An innovative hybrid methodol...

In this paper and its companion (Higuera et al., 2014--this issue), the latest advancements regarding Volume-averaged Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (VARANS) are developed in OpenFOAM® and applied. A new solver, called IHFOAM, is programmed to overcome the limitations and errors in the original OpenFOAM® code, having a rigorous implementation of t...

This work presents the numerical study of rip current circulation on a barred beach. The numerical simulations have been carried out with the IH-FOAM model which is based on the three dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The new boundary conditions implemented in IH-FOAM include three dimensional wave generation as well as active...

Over the last years Navier-Stokes numerical models have been developed to accurately simulate wave interaction with all kinds of coastal structures, focusing on both functionality and stability of coastal structures. Although several models have been used to simulate wave interaction with coastal structures in two dimensions (2DV) there are a vast...

A new passive wave absorber, consisting of multiple mesh screens, for the Cantabria Coastal and Ocean Basin (CCOB) was optimized regarding its overall length and performance. Physical model wave flume tests were conducted to calibrate and verify a 2D-RANS model utilizing different combinations of vertical and horizontal mesh screens. The final desi...

For the Cantabria Coastal and Ocean Basin a new passive wave absorber, consisting of multiple mesh screens (CCOB) was optimized regarding its overall length and performance. Physical model wave flume tests were conducted to calibrate and verify a 2D-RANS model utilizing different combinations of vertical and horizontal mesh screens. The final desig...

The present paper introduces new functionalities built for OpenFOAM® in order to deal with coastal, ocean and offshore engineering problems. OpenFOAM® is suitable for these purposes, as it solves the 3D RANS equations for two-phase flows. The current limitations are overcome with new boundary conditions which link wave generation with active wave a...

Wave breaking is mainly a three-dimensional flow problem characterized by wave energy dissipation due to turbulence. The understanding of the wave breaking mechanism on a beach is essential in studying coastal processes. The complexity of the wave-induced turbulence flow is also increased by the presence of a two-phase flow, which introduces buoyan...