Physical Modeling of Extreme Waves Propagating from the Open Sea to the Coastal Zone

The evolution of solitary wave along the flume is investigated. Experiments were conducted in a smooth, rectangular sloping flume. Solitary waves are generated using a piston-type wave maker. These type of waves are generated by impulsive mechanism, close to the generation zone, their profile contains both elevation and depression components. These depressions are attached to the main solitary wave along the flume during the propagation. The main hydraulic parameters investigated are: energy damping along the flat bottom, wave height evolution on the slope (shoaling), breaking process and runup heights. It was found that experimental results are almost in good agreement with earlier studies. An empirical formula for runup heights determination is suggested. A good way for tracking the evolution of a solitary wave on flat and sloping bottom is presented thanks to spatiotemporal diagram. It is noted that for better accuracy, especially when investigating breaking, it is better to use camera.