Coastal Zones

Biography

Biography: Dr Mohamed EL HOU

Abstract

The extreme wind waves are one of the most hazardous phenomena affecting the coastal areas. They are generated by strong winds associated to intense sea-storms. The North Atlantic Ocean is considered as one of the most active region in term of storminess. In the context of climate change, the frequency of the extreme meteorological events is expected to increase in the future. Thus, the information related to hazardous events is of a great importance in managing these fragile zones. Integrating this information in design studies and in planning activities will help in minimizing their impacts along the coastline. As the high energetic waves reach the coastal areas, they undergo many changes due to the local bathymetry and the human constructions. As a result, they can be significantly amplified and hence cause many damages among the infrastructures and impact the coastal environment. The present study deal with some aspects connected with this important hydrodynamic phenomenon. First, an attempt is made to characterize these kinds of waves in order to determine the physical parameters and mechanisms explaining their hazardous aspect. In the second part, some large wave forerunners useful in forecasting process are given. Some important indices linked to wave generating areas (sea storms) are suggested to be considered in forecasting the intensity of wind waves. In the last part, we examine different impacts of these high energetic waves along the coastal areas. The study focuses on the Southeastern region of the North Atlantic Ocean through real events occurred in last fifteen years.