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In this paper, an advanced methodology developed for the assessment of tidal stream resources is applied to several straits between Indian Ocean and inner Indonesian seas. Due to the high current velocities up to 3-4 m/s, the straits are particularly promising for the efficient generation of electric power. Tidal stream power potentials are evaluated on the basis of calibrated and validated high-resolution, three-dimensional numerical models. It was found that the straits under investigation have tremendous potential for the development of renewable energy production. Suitable locations for the installation of the turbines are identified in all the straits, and sites have been ranked based on the level of power density. Maximum power densities are observed in the Bali Strait, exceeding around 10kw/m2. Horizontal axis tidal turbines with a cut-in velocity of 1m/s are considered in the estimations. The highest total extractable power resulted equal to about 1,260MW in the Strait of Alas. Preliminary assessments showed that the power production at the straits under investigation is likely to exceed previous predictions reaching around 5,000MW.

A procedure, based on numerical models is proposed to investigate the processes involved during conditions of extreme water levels within the outer Elbe estuary at the German North Sea coast. Nonlinear interactions between the different processes are analyzed and adverse combinations are simulated yielding new scenarios. Various conditions in the astronomical tide, three major storm events over the North Sea, several external surges and an increase in the mean sea level are analyzed. Techniques for the modeling of each of the isolated processes are developed and individually verified. The isolated processes are temporally shifted relative to each other and superimposed in various combinations. The results obtained from the present method, provide new insights into the nonlinear interactions between the involved processes. Generally, the effects of the processes seem to be reduced in superpositions with high absolute water levels. However, due to the large scatter of the results no general relations are found. New extreme scenarios are determined by iterative maximizations of the peak water level of different superpositions around spring high tide.

In this paper the assessment of the preliminary results of a methodology to enable predictions of medium-term morphodynamics accounting for the effects of storms is carried out. The methodology integrates the approaches based on a morphological acceleration factor and on the empirical orthogonal functions to account respectively for the morphological changes on the medium and short term. In a very simplified fashion, the effects of the storms are represented by a superposition of most relevant bathymetrical changes. The effectiveness of the methodology was assessed for a coastal stretch along the German Baltic Sea. The analysis of the simulations of morphodynamics for a period of 10 years showed that the method is able to predict volumetric changes along the coastal stretches reasonably well. However it fails to describe the spatial variation of the morphological changes near the coast. Sensitivity studies show also that the results are significantly affected by the set-up scheme of the methodology. Preliminary results during the assessment of the methodology gave clues about the evolution of the morphology of the German Baltic Sea coast. The methodology can be used as a practical tool for initial assessments of tendencies of morphological evolution. Obviously, in this investigation, the method proposed to account for to the storms is a simplified representation of the reality. In this regard, further research is needed to include a more realistic representation of the chronology taking into account their intensity.

This paper investigates the predictive capability of a morphodynamic model in capturing the development of a tidal channel on the German North Sea coast which experienced migration in the last few years. A depth-averaged version of a process-based model, Delft3D, is used. A description of the set-up, calibration and validation of the process-based models is presented. Field measurements with a dense spatial and temporal coverage were used for the development of the models. Results from the hydrodynamic and sediment transport simulations were in agreement with observations. The morphodynamic model simulations were speeded up with a morphological acceleration factor in conjunction with a representative period. Results of model calibration and validation covering periods of several years proved the capability of the model to reproduce the migration of the tidal channel. According to the standards usually adopted for checking the accuracy of morphodynamic models, the performance of the model presented here was quite good. The model ability in predicting the migration in the medium-term was found to be dependent primarily on the accuracy of the starting bathymetry, characteristics of the substrata and of the mud sediment fraction as well as on the selection of the representative period. A reduction in the rate of migration of the tidal channel is predicted from 2008 till 2010.