In this study, hydraulic model experiments were conducted to measure the saltwater–freshwater equilibrium interface in a coastal aquifer with underground obstructions such as an impermeable seawall. To analyse the hydraulic characteristics inside the coastal aquifer, numerical analysis was conducted using a non-hydrostatic Navier-Stokes solver based on the Porous Body Model (PBM), which can directly analyse groundwater flow. A unique saltwater–freshwater equilibrium interface that does not appear in typical coastal aquifer analyses was observed in a sandy tank experiment. In the experiment, the rise of the groundwater level behind the seawall increased the pressure gradient and groundwater flow rate, causing the saltwater–freshwater interface to move towards the sea and a freshwater region to form on the seabed in front of the seawall. The numerical analysis enabled close examination of the groundwater level distribution, groundwater flow, seawater–freshwater interface, and pore water pressure characteristics of the coastal aquifer with underground obstructions. The sandy tank experiment also provided an understanding of the hydraulic characteristics of groundwater in the coastal aquifer with a seawall, which previously could not be accurately analysed. The experimental and analytical results demonstrated that the rise of groundwater level due to underground obstructions in the coastal aquifer increased the pressure gradient and groundwater flow rate and slowed seawater intrusion. This principle can be employed to sufficiently reduce seawater intrusion of coastal aquifers.

Herein, hydraulic model experiments and numerical simulations were performed to understand the self-burial mechanism of subsea pipelines with spoilers under steady flow conditions. First, scour characteristics and self-burial functions according to the spoiler length-to-pipe diameter ratio (S/D) were investigated through hydraulic experiments. Further, the Navier–Stokes solver was verified. The experimental values of the velocity at the bottom of the pipeline with a spoiler and the pressure on the sand foundation where the pipeline rested were represented with the degree of conformity. Scour characteristics of a sand foundation were investigated from the numerical analysis results of the velocity and vorticity surrounding the pipelines with spoilers. The compilation of results from the hydraulic experiment and numerical analysis showed that the projected area increased when a spoiler was attached to the subsea pipes. This consequently increased the velocity of fluid leaving the top and bottom of the pipe, and high vorticity was formed within and above the sand foundation. This aggravated scouring at the pipe base and increased the top and bottom asymmetry of the dynamic pressure field, which developed a downward force on the pipeline. These two primary effects acting simultaneously under steady flow conditions explained the self-burial of pipelines with a spoiler attachment.

In this study, numerical simulations were conducted in order to understand the role of wave-current interactions in wave deformation. The wave-current interaction mechanisms, wave reflection and energy loss due to currents, the effect of incident conditions on wave-current interactions, the advection-diffusion characteristics of saltwater, and the effect of density currents on wave-current interactions were discussed. In addition, the effect of saltwater–freshwater density on wave-current interactions was investigated under a hypopycnal flow field via numerical model testing. Turbulence was stronger under the influence of wave-current interactions than under the influence of waves alone, as wave-current interactions reduced wave energy, which led to decreases in wave height. This phenomenon was more prominent under shorter wave periods and higher current velocities. These results increase our understanding of hydrodynamic phenomena in estuaries in which saltwater–freshwater and wave-current pairs coexist.