Free Coastal Engineering Software — Waves, Currents and Beach Erosion
Coastal and marine engineering relies on models many of which were born in government research institutes in Europe, so — unlike other fields — a large share of the most professional tools here are open source and free. Waves, currents, sediment transport, beach erosion and pollutant spreading at sea: each of these has a well-known, validated model you can download today.
Hydrodynamics and morphology
1. Delft3D
The suite from the Dutch institute Deltares: 2D and 3D currents, tides, salinity, temperature, sediment transport and bed changes. Delft3D 4 is available as open source and is used on port, estuary and bay projects around the world.
What's missing: the new graphical interface (Delft3D FM Suite) is not fully free; the open version means working with input files and a significant learning curve.
2. TELEMAC-MASCARET
A French-British open-source system on an unstructured finite element mesh: 2D and 3D flow, waves, sediments and water quality. Particularly suited to complex coastlines, where a flexible mesh beats a rectangular grid.
Delft3D
Deltares
Coastal and marine engineering — currents, waves, sediment transport and shoreline morphology.
Get it from the vendor
TELEMAC-MASCARET
EDF / Consortium
Hydrodynamic system for rivers and coasts on unstructured meshes — flow, waves, sediment and quality.
Get it from the vendorWaves and beach erosion
3. SWAN
The spectral wave model from TU Delft — the accepted model for wave propagation from the open sea to the shore: refraction, breaking, bottom friction and wind input. Almost every breakwater or marina design starts here.
4. XBeach
A model for beach and dune erosion during storms: long waves, overwash and breaching of the dune crest. Used to assess coastal vulnerability and to design beach nourishment.
SWAN
Delft University of Technology
Nearshore wave model for shallow water — essential input for jetty and breakwater design.
Get it from the vendorXBeach
Deltares
Storm impact on the coast — overwash, dune erosion and barrier breaching in a single extreme event.
Get it from the vendorDrift and pollution at sea
OpenDrift, from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, tracks particles at sea using current and wind fields: oil spills, floating objects, fish eggs and larvae, microplastics. Written in Python and suited to emergency scenarios and research.
OpenDrift
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Traces the drift of oil, plastic, larvae or search-and-rescue targets in the ocean.
Get it from the vendorSo which one
Nearshore waves: SWAN. Currents, tides and sediments: Delft3D, or TELEMAC if the coastline is complex. Storms and dune erosion: XBeach. The path of a spill or a floating object: OpenDrift. Set aside time to learn any of these models — they are free, but not simple.