Abstract:
An experimental deployment of pressure sensors was undertaken to assess the impact of blocks deposited by Cyclone Bebe on wave processes on Fatato Island’s reef platform, Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu. Experiments were undertaken on two sections of a 92-m-wide reef platform, one that had blocks atop it that created a greater degree of surface texture or roughness and the other, a smoother transect of comparable width and incident wave energy. The shoreline with the rougher surface received slightly smaller wave heights (12.1%) for all wave conditions, compared to the smoother shoreline. The difference is largely a result of a fairly constant infragravity wave energy with a slight decrease in height at high tide and a strong decrease in the sea and swell energy. The influence of infragravity Implications of findings are discussed with respect to the impacts of reef flat roughness on a reef island. Keywords: Coral reef platform; Wave energy transformation; Reef surface roughness; Tuvalu
