INFLUENCE OF OFFSHORE BANKS ON THE ADJACENT COAST

Abstract

A numerical model has been used to study the influence of offshore sand banks on the wave climate along a stretch of the Belgian coast. Results of the model have been interpreted to provide predictions of wave height under several scenarios, assuming that the banks do not respond quickly to changes in the local hydrodynamic environment. Results show that the sand banks afford substantial protection to the coast and that this effect may be reduced as a result of rising mean sea level and dredging.