Publications scientifiques

This paper presents an investigation into the use of a 2-dimensional laser scanner (LiDAR) to obtain measurements of wave processes in the inner surf and swash zones of a microtidal beach (Rousty, Camargue, France). The bed is extracted at the wave-by-wave timescale using a variance threshold method on the time series. Individual wave properties were then retrieved from a local extrema analysis. Finally, individual and averaged wave celerities are obtained using a crest-tracking method and cross-correlation technique, respectively, and compared with common wave celerity predictors.

Extreme sea levels along the Atlantic Iberian coast are determined through the development and application of a numerical model for tides and surges, followed by a statistical analysis of the model results. A recent statistical method is assessed using 131 years of data from the Brest tide gauge, and the number of years of data required for an accurate statistical analysis is estimated. The statistical method is extended to consider tide–surge interactions, but they are shown to be small in the study region.

A new method is presented for a physically based statistical description of wind wave climatology. The method applies spectral partitioning to identify individual wave systems (partitions) in time series of 2D-wave spectra, followed by computing the probability of occurrence of their (peak) position in frequency–direction space. This distribution can be considered as a spectral density function to which another round of partitioning is applied to obtain spectral domains, each representing a typical wave system or population in a statistical sense.

Recent dramatic events have allowed significant progress to be achieved in coastal flood modelling over recent years. Classical approaches generally estimate wave overtopping by means of empirical formulas or 1-D simulations, and the flood is simulated on a DTM (digital terrain model), using soil roughness to characterize land use. The limits of these methods are typically linked to the accuracy of overtopping estimation (spatial and temporal distribution) and to the reliability of the results in urban areas, which are places where the assets are the most crucial.

GNSS-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) altimetry has demonstrated a strong potential for sea level monitoring. Interference Pattern Technique (IPT) based on the analysis of the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) estimated by a GNSS receiver, presents the main advantage of being applicable everywhere by using a single geodetic antenna and receiver, transforming them to real tide gauges. Classical SNR analysis method used to estimate the variations of the reflecting surface height h(t) has a limited domain of validity due to its variation rate (dh/dt)(t) assumed to be negligible.

Pour caractériser le risque de submersion marine, il est très important d'avoir une connaissance précise des lois de distribution des niveaux d'eau marins, et plus particulièrement des niveaux d'eau extrêmes. En effet ce sont eux qui sont à l'origine des conséquences les plus dramatiques. Le programme de recherche mené au cours de cette thèse a été financé par le Ministère de l'Écologie, du Développement Durable et de l'Énergie.

The knowledge of extreme coastal water levels is useful for coastal flooding studies or the design of coastal defences. While deriving such extremes with standard analyses using tide-gauge measurements, one often needs to deal with limited effective duration of observation which can result in large statistical uncertainties. This is even truer when one faces the issue of outliers, those particularly extreme values distant from the others which increase the uncertainty on the results.

Recent works (Evelpidou et al., 2012) suggest that the modern tidal notch is disappearing worldwide due sea level rise over the last century. In order to assess this hypothesis, we measured modern tidal notches in several of sites along the Mediterranean coasts. We report observations on tidal notches cut along carbonate coasts from 73 sites from Italy, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta and Spain, plus additional observations carried outside the Mediterranean.