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Due to climate change, tropical islands are being increasingly exposed to coastal hazards. Under energetic incident swells, infragravity (IG) waves can have a key contribution to extreme water levels and flooding, but their dynamics at barrier reef remains little studied. In this context, this study analyses IG wave generation mechanisms and transformations across a barrier reef to the southwest of Mayotte (Indian Ocean), combining a new comprehensive field dataset with phase resolving wave modelling. This analysis reveals that IG waves are mostly breakpoint-forced and suffer a substantial dissipation by bottom friction, particularly at low tide. Numerical experiments with reduced bottom friction representing a degraded coral reef suggest that IG waves would grow by about 20% across the reef at high tide. This study highlights the key role of coral reefs to dissipate IG waves and hence limit extreme water levels and subsequent coastal hazards.

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Dynamics of Infragravity Waves Across the Southern Reef Barrier of Mayotte, Indian Ocean

  • 会议论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Xavier Bertin,
  • Heloise Michaud,
  • Marc Pezerat,
  • Aline Aubry,
  • Matthieu Jeanson

摘要

Due to climate change, tropical islands are being increasingly exposed to coastal hazards. Under energetic incident swells, infragravity (IG) waves can have a key contribution to extreme water levels and flooding, but their dynamics at barrier reef remains little studied. In this context, this study analyses IG wave generation mechanisms and transformations across a barrier reef to the southwest of Mayotte (Indian Ocean), combining a new comprehensive field dataset with phase resolving wave modelling. This analysis reveals that IG waves are mostly breakpoint-forced and suffer a substantial dissipation by bottom friction, particularly at low tide. Numerical experiments with reduced bottom friction representing a degraded coral reef suggest that IG waves would grow by about 20% across the reef at high tide. This study highlights the key role of coral reefs to dissipate IG waves and hence limit extreme water levels and subsequent coastal hazards.