Hydrodynamic Impact Assessment of Natadola Beach, Fiji
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Hydrodynamic impact assessment of Natadola Beach, Fiji Sanchez Stephane SOPAC Secretariat SOPAC Training report 83 September 1999 SOPAC Training Report ____________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first express my acknowledgements to the Director of SOPAC Alfred Simpson and all the SOPAC staff, especially Franck Martin and my supervisor Robert Smith. I would like to also thank the French Embassy for the funds that enabled my placement at SOPAC. Stephane Sanchez Page 2 03/09/99 SOPAC Training Report ____________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements______________________________________________________ 1 Abstract_______________________________________________________________ 4 Introduction____________________________________________________________ 5 Warning_______________________________________________________________ 6 I. Presentations ______________________________________________________ 8 A. Presentation of SOPAC __________________________________________________8 1. Background ________________________________________________________________ 8 2. Mission statement ___________________________________________________________ 8 3. Work program ______________________________________________________________ 8 4. Resource development program ________________________________________________ 9 B. Natadola beach ________________________________________________________10 1. Description _______________________________________________________________ 10 2. Physical Environment _______________________________________________________ 11 a)Tidal Range________________________________________________________________ 11 b)Wave climate ______________________________________________________________ 11 c)Currents___________________________________________________________________ 12 C. Development __________________________________________________________13 1. History ___________________________________________________________________ 13 2. Development project ________________________________________________________ 15 a)Details ____________________________________________________________________ 15 b)Prices_____________________________________________________________________ 16 3. The marina in particular _____________________________________________________ 16 4. E.I.A. ____________________________________________________________________ 17 5. Own mission ______________________________________________________________ 18 II. Data_____________________________________________________________ 19 A. The sea is not a laboratory ______________________________________________19 B. Measurements ________________________________________________________20 1. GPS measurements _________________________________________________________ 20 a)Principle of the GPS _________________________________________________________ 20 b)Choice of the points _________________________________________________________ 20 2. Bathymetry _______________________________________________________________ 21 a)Equipment _________________________________________________________________ 21 b)Measurements ______________________________________________________________ 21 3. Water level recorders________________________________________________________ 22 4. Currents __________________________________________________________________ 22 a)Aanderaa currentmeters_______________________________________________________ 22 b)Choice of the spot ___________________________________________________________ 24 c)Plots______________________________________________________________________ 24 C. Bibliography __________________________________________________________25 1. Elevation of the sea level_____________________________________________________ 25 2. Wind ____________________________________________________________________ 25 a)In Nadi____________________________________________________________________ 25 b)Winds at Natadola___________________________________________________________ 26 3. Tides ____________________________________________________________________ 26 4. Review of evapotranspiration and rainfalls _______________________________________ 28 Stephane Sanchez Page 3 03/09/99 SOPAC Training Report ____________________ III. Simulations_______________________________________________________ 29 A. Software discovery _____________________________________________________30 1. Application areas___________________________________________________________ 30 2. Equations_________________________________________________________________ 32 a)Continuity _________________________________________________________________ 32 b)Momentum ________________________________________________________________ 32 c)Boundary conditions _________________________________________________________ 32 d)Shallow Water Equations _____________________________________________________ 33 e)Numerical Formulation _______________________________________________________ 38 3. Method___________________________________________________________________ 40 4. Mike 21 guide _____________________________________________________________ 40 a)First step: creating a project ___________________________________________________ 40 b)Preprocessing ______________________________________________________________ 41 c)Hydrodynamic module _______________________________________________________ 44 d)Post processing _____________________________________________________________ 48 B. Basic simulation _______________________________________________________49 1. Setting up of the bathymetry __________________________________________________ 49 a)Data reading _______________________________________________________________ 49 b)Conversion ________________________________________________________________ 50 c)Corrections ________________________________________________________________ 51 d)Interpolation _______________________________________________________________ 51 e)Extracting the data to Mike 21 _________________________________________________ 52 f)Smoothing the bathymetry_____________________________________________________ 52 2. Hydrodynamic simulation ____________________________________________________ 52 a)Time _____________________________________________________________________ 53 b)Initial elevation _____________________________________________________________ 53 c)Drying and flooding _________________________________________________________ 53 d)Eddy viscosity______________________________________________________________ 53 e)Wind _____________________________________________________________________ 53 3. Plots and analyses __________________________________________________________ 54 a)Importance of time frequency in output specifications _______________________________ 54 b)Viscosity and wind __________________________________________________________ 55 c)Right computation___________________________________________________________ 56 d)Evapotranspiration and rainfalls ________________________________________________ 57 C. With the marina _______________________________________________________58 1. Bathymetry _______________________________________________________________ 58 2. Results ___________________________________________________________________ 59 D. Mud transport simulation _______________________________________________62 E. Software assessment____________________________________________________63 IV. Recommendations _________________________________________________ 64 Conclusion__________________________________________________________ 64 Stephane Sanchez Page 4 03/09/99 SOPAC Training Report ____________________ ABSTRACT Warmly welcomed in the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission, I have been immediately involved in a huge project which aims at building a resort in Natadola Harbor, the most beautiful beach in Viti Levu. This vast complex will comprise four hotels with potential for up to 1000 rooms, an international standard golf course and a marina. My own mission was indeed assessing the hydrodynamic impact of this last construction thanks to a numerical modeling under Mike 21, a professional modeling software for 2D free surface flows. And it meant being in charge of the whole survey that is to say establishing first the bathymetry and the currents in the field. After having avoided all the traps of the data processing, I made run two hydrodynamic models, the second encompassing the proposed marina which dimensions stayed nevertheless unavailable. It shows unknown phenomenon like the flux entering the channel at low tide and how the marina will modify the current speeds and directions. All the plots show that there is apparently no major issue in building a marina but some more details about the project development are to be provided to carry out properly the survey. Stephane Sanchez Page 5 03/09/99 SOPAC Training Report ____________________ INTRODUCTION Which other beach in the world needs to be more protected than Natadola Beach in Fiji? The people of Fiji themselves recognize Natadola beach as one of the nicest beaches on the island and people travel considerable distances to visit it. In spite of Fiji reputation, beautiful white sand beaches are very rare on the main land. Actually there is only one. The third step of the proposed development of Natadola Harbor is yet building a marina there. That is why the Fijian Government has commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment in order to know whether the project will not only have significant economic benefits for Fiji but will also assist in the protection