A camera based method for assessing surf amenity of submerged nearshore structures in a wave basin by quantifying wave breaking

Submerged nearshore structure designs are commonly tested and optimised in scale model wave basins prior to construction in the field. Depending on the purpose of the structure, different measurement methods are used. In this paper, a camera-based measurement method called Wave Peel Tracking (WPT) was adapted and evaluated for quantifying wave breaking over submerged structures purposed for surf amenity. The WPT algorithm was successfully applied to the wave basin through controlled artificial lighting at night, precise image rectification, and modification to a classifier model. The WPT results were verified using overhead footage and had similar accuracy to the WPT algorithm previously applied in the field (Thompson et al., 2021a). Results from wave basin testing of two rock reef structures and three sand mound structures are presented for both regular and irregular waves and were analysed to show the effectiveness of the WPT algorithm in quantifying surf amenity for informing design optimisation. The algorithm applied to the wave basin is open-source, enabling further use and adoption by other laboratories.

Automated summary

This paper presents a camera-based measurement method called Wave Peel Tracking (WPT) for quantifying wave breaking over submerged structures designed for surf amenity. The WPT algorithm was successfully applied in the wave basin through controlled artificial lighting, image rectification, and classifier model modification. The accuracy of the WPT results was verified using overhead footage and showed similar results to the algorithm previously applied in the field. The results from testing various submerged structures under different wave conditions demonstrate the effectiveness of the WPT algorithm in quantifying surf amenity for design optimization.