A new Boat Wake Model called “BoMo” forecasts boat wakes and their effect on erosion in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. For the first time, we used the prototype model to calculate the erosion potential of the waves associated with boat wakes.
Many sections of the waterway in North Carolina are relatively protected from wind-wave events but are highly vulnerable to the much larger waves produced by boat wakes. Extensive surveys and modeling of waterway boat traffic showed that boats larger than approximately 21 feet frequently generated wakes capable of moving sediment over large extents of the waterway’s nearshore area.
Similar analyses may be useful in identifying management options such as speed reduction zones for particularly vulnerable shorelines.
This model was developed by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in Beaufort, NC.