A comprehensive study about alongshore wave energy flux in the coast of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

Alongshore wave energy flux (Pl) was analysed for the coast of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pl is frequently used to estimate the alongshore sediment transport rate. Pl was estimated from simulated offshore wave parameters obtained from a validated regional SWAN model forced by NCEP/NCAR I, NCEP/DOE II, ERA-Interim and JRA-25 global reanalysis for the year 2005. It was obtained that Pl flows eastwards/northeastwards and increases irregularly from Bahía Blanca to Mar del Plata. Negative and positive space imbalances in Pl along the coast could explain the natural erosive and constructive processes detected between Mar del Plata and Punta Médanos. High inter-annual variability was noted in Pl data series computed from simulated wave parameters using SWAN model forced by NCEP/NCAR I for the period 1980–2012. Anomalous Pl values were detected in 1983, 1993 and 1998 which are in agreement with reported ENSO events. Concluding, the applied methodology seems to constitute a very reasonable alternative to study the space and time variability of Pl at the Buenos Aires coast, between Bahía Blanca and Punta Médanos.