Wave loading on rock lighthouses

Abstract

Historic offshore lighthouses are positioned to warn mariners of the presence of perilous rocky outcrops. The UK and Irish General Lighthouse Authorities are continuing to use these physical aids to navigation, as satellite navigation systems are not failsafe. However, faced with climate change threats of sea level rise and potential increases in storminess, it has become increasingly important to understand the structural response of these lighthouses to wave impacts. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the methods and key findings from the recently-completed STORMLAMP project, before focusing on the physical hydrodynamic modelling undertaken in the University of Plymouth COAST Laboratory. A 1 :40 scale model of the Wolf Rock lighthouse was subjected to extreme wave interactions corresponding to 1 in 250 year wave conditions, and the acquired wave loads and runup provided insight into wave interactions at prototype scale.