Beach profile simulation under sediment transport at shore lines of the Baltic Sea by neural networks and discrete models

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Klaus-Peter Holz
• Subject Area: Geotechnics, Hydraulic Engineering
• Term: from 2002 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5369349

Protection of shorelines and islands is of great economic interest and still a major challenge in coastal engineering. Engineering decisions on maintenance and improvement of beach profiles strongly depend on the quality of models for understanding the processes and forecasting evolution over years. Models at hand are either parametric or deterministic, the latter solved by discrete numerical methods in one or two dimensions. Data-driven models based on neural networks and fuzzy methods are lacking in this field though quite succesfully being applied to forecast floods in rivers, hydrology and control. The project aims at expanding the data-driven approach to simulating beach profile evolution by long and cross-shore sediment transport at coastal profiles in the Baltic Sea. Data are available. Comparisons with deterministic one-dimensional numerical models (in long and cross-shore direction) will be made.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Latvia
• Participating Person: Dr. Uldis Bethers