Analysis of Wave Characteristics along the Coast of Bangladesh Using a Coupled Wave-Hydrodynamic Delft3D Model of the Bay of Bengal

Abstract

Abstract Bangladesh has a unique geophysical location at the northern apex of the Bay of Bengal. Waves originating in the Indian Ocean, are constantly travelling up the bay area and interacting with the Bangladesh coastlands. In order to estimate the major wave properties required for coastal engineering purposes, a 2D coupled Wave-Hydrodynamic model of the greater bay area was developed in this study, using the Delft3D modeling suite. The model was simulated for a year and from the model outputs, significant wave height was primarily assessed at multiple locations along the Bangladesh coastline. Considerable spatial variation was observed in the wave parameters, along the whole coast at different locations, with the south-eastern coastal region showing high trends of wave height; whereas in the deltaic south-western, and south-central zones, wave heights were rather moderate. Strong seasonal variation was also observed for the different parameters, as both wave heights and depth-average current velocity were very high during the wet monsoon season, compared to the lean winter period. The results of this study is expected to provide a reasonably sound characterization of the wave spectrum along the coastline of Bangladesh.