Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2012 Determining the performance of breakwaters during high energy events: a case study of the Holly Beach breakwater system Andrew Keane Woodroof Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Woodroof, Andrew Keane, "Determining the performance of breakwaters during high energy events: a case study of the Holly Beach breakwater system" (2012). LSU Master's Theses. 2184. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2184 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DETERMINING THE PERFORMANCE OF BREAKWATERS DURING HIGH ENERGY EVENTS: A CASE STUDY OF THE HOLLY BEACH BREAKWATER SYSTEM A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Science in The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by Andrew K. Woodroof B.S., Louisiana State University, 2008 December 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my love and passion for the infinite beauty of south Louisiana. The vast expanse of wetlands, coastlines, and beaches in south Louisiana harbors people, industry, natural resources, recreation, and wildlife that is truly special. The intermingling of these components creates a multitude of unique cultures with such pride, passion, and zest for life that makes me thankful every day that I can enjoy the bounty of this region. The current need to restore and protect such vital and fragile resources is something very close to my heart and I am proud to devote my time, work, and hobbies towards that goal. I would also like to thank my graduate committee members. First, I would like to thank Dr. Kevin Xu for providing a fresh perspective on my work in coastal sciences and Dr. Heather Smith for her continued guidance and support. Dr. Clint Willson introduced me to the Coastal and Ecological Engineering program at LSU, and has been a mentor to me in both the academic and professional landscapes. Lastly, Dr. Jim Chen has been a tremendous mentor as I navigated the coastal engineering curriculum. I have gained a tremendous amount of technical knowledge while at LSU, but I believe that I have learned more about coastal engineering in my discussions with Dr. Chen than I have in any classroom. I would also like to acknowledge those entities which contributed to and encouraged the completion of my studies. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority provided a wealth of information which made this project possible. I would also like to acknowledge my employer, Digital Engineering, for their support, understanding, and encouragement for completing my studies. Finally, I could not have realized my goals of completing this curriculum without the support of my friends and family, especially my parents, who have enabled and supported my every goal. I would not be where I am today without my wife, Mia, and her continuous support, motivation, patience and love, and for that I am thankful. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................. ii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Segmented Breakwaters .............................................................................................................................. 2 1.1.1 Emergent Breakwater Circulation Patterns ............................................................................................. 4 1.1.2 Overtopped Breakwater Circulation Patterns ......................................................................................... 5 1.1.3 Submerged Breakwater Circulation Patterns .......................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2: PURPOSE, HYPOTHESIS, AND STUDY OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 11 2.1 Purpose ...................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Hypothesis .................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Study Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 12 2.4 Tasks ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 3: CASE STUDY: THE HOLLY BEACH BREAKWATER SYSTEM ......................................................................... 17 3.1 Introduction to the Holly Beach Breakwater System ................................................................................. 17 3.2 Holly Beach Breakwater System Project History and Design ..................................................................... 17 3.3 Previous Studies ......................................................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................... 22 4.1 Methods for Survey Data and Creation of 3-D Topographic Surfaces ....................................................... 22 4.1.1 Acquisition of Survey Data ..................................................................................................................... 22 4.1.2 Development of Survey Data Inventory ................................................................................................ 22 4.1.3 Modify Survey Data for Import into AutoCAD Civil 3D .......................................................................... 23 4.1.4 Generate Three-Dimensional Topographic Surfaces ............................................................................. 24 4.1.5 Generate Sediment Transport Volume Surfaces ................................................................................... 26 4.1.6 Calculate Volumes using Average-End-Area Method ............................................................................ 27 4.2 Methods for Acquisition, Import, Conversion, and Overlay for Aerial Photography ................................. 32 4.2.1 Acquisition and Characteristics of Aerial Photography ......................................................................... 32 4.2.2 Import of Aerial Photography into Civil 3D Model ................................................................................ 33 4.3 Interpolation of Survey Data ...................................................................................................................... 36 4.3.1 Purpose of Survey Data Interpolation ................................................................................................... 36 4.3.2 Identification of Survey Transects for Interpolation .............................................................................. 37 4.3.3 Processing of Survey Data for Creating New Transects ......................................................................... 38 4.3.4 Generation of Interpolated Surfaces ..................................................................................................... 40 4.4 Hydrodynamic Information ........................................................................................................................ 42 4.5 Selection of Data for Analysis..................................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS OF VOLUMETRIC TRANSPORT SURFACES ................................................................................ 46 5.1 Validation of Non-Interpolated Volumetric Transport Surfaces ................................................................ 46 5.2 Sediment Transport Results for Surge Events ............................................................................................ 48 5.2.1 Impact of Hurricane Rita: Analysis of 2005 to 2006 .............................................................................. 50 5.2.2 Impact of Hurricane Ike: Analysis of 2006 to 2009 ...............................................................................