The project will lead to great improvement in the quality of swell forecasting, both at sea and on the coast thanks to models developed by the SHOM and Météo-France.

In the surf zone, it also involves characterising the predictability of the beaches’ dynamics over various timescales varying from a few days to a few months

A coastal forecasting demonstrator has been developed thanks to this improved understanding of coastal dynamics

Aside from military applications, these developments are used to study beach dynamics.

Prime contractor : SHOM

Contracting Authorities : SHOM

INSU EPOC

Météo-France LEGI

BRGM LSEET LASAGEC LEGEM M2C NURC

Universities of : Montpellier, Havre, Plymouth Delft Hydraulics

Backer : SHOM

2006 : PEA project financed by the French Defence Ministry

2007 : Research projects launched (INSU and GAME)

2008 : Data Acquired (ex : campaign ECORS Truc Vert)

2009 : Chain of forecasts and boundary conditions for coastal models

Marcket launch and development of the demonstrator

Functional and algorithm specifications for the demonstrator

2010 : Validation report for forecast settings and systems.

Study report of the observations conducted

Report on the demonstrator experiments

2012 : Evaluation and summary of PE ECORS

A significant campaign to measure waves, currents and sea-floor changes (Truc Vert) was used to validate the digital models of changes in the sea floor, in addition to previous campaigns.

These measurements are added to in situ observations (current, pressure, sand content in the water) and the use of video to evaluate bathymetry and surface currents.

Repeated bathymetric readings use hydrographic launches as well as lighter means which are better suited to the surf zone. Detailed analysis of sea states at sea will be used to refine the parameters and assimilation techniques for the measurements taken from space in the sea state forecast models WAM and WAVEWATCH III. Finally, these results will be summarised in a demonstrator model used to characterize beaches along with their environments and dynamics.

Data type :

Hydrography

Physical oceanography

Hydrodynamics

Geology

Precision on the data type :

Bathymetry

Sea State

Currentology

Sedimentology

Measured or observed parameters :

Water depth

Qualitative Observation

Swell currents

Tide currents

Grain size

Sediment concentration

Porosity

Parameters resolution :

Temporal resolution : minimum 15 days of measurements

Current tables