Rip currents on a barred beach

Abstract

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 have been used, including three dimensional wave generation as well as active wave absorption at the boundary. Applying the specific wave generation boundary conditions, the model is validated to simulate rip circulation on a barred beach. Moreover, this study addresses the identification of the forcing mechanisms and the three dimensional structure of the mean flow.