Abstract
In this paper, we explore the use of coastal vegetation as a natural barrier to defend our shoreline from hazards caused by large wind waves, storm surges, and tsunamis. A numerical model based on XBeach is employed to evaluate the wave damping by vegetation. An explicit formula for the required drag coefficient used to help describe the additional force imposed by the vegetation is developed through a series of numerical experiments. Overall, our predictions agree reasonably with available laboratory data in the literature for various incident wave conditions and vegetation configurations. Our analysis suggests that a small unvegetated open space in the middle of a vegetation strip does not have a significant impact on the amount of wave height attenuation at the exit of the vegetated bed.
Highlights
Hard structures, such as sea dikes, breakwaters, and seawalls, have been widely built to protect our coastlines from wave attack
Our goal here is to provide an explicit estimation of the coefficients, which is achieved by conducting a series of numerical experiments with the help of the available laboratory measurements in the literature, namely the data collected by Huang et al [29], Koftis et al [30], Dubi and Tørum [31], Anderson et al [32], and Sánchez-González, Sánchez-Rojas and Memos [33]
We reported a numerical model based on XBeach to evaluate the effectiveness of wave attenuation by vegetation
Summary
Hard structures, such as sea dikes, breakwaters, and seawalls, have been widely built to protect our coastlines from wave attack. This common approach was proven to be quite effective in terms of short term coast protection. Some usual disadvantages of hard structures are visual impacts, access restrictions, and reduced sand supply to beach. To achieve a balance between maintaining the shoreline functions and shielding the coast areas from wave impacts, soft engineering strategies have been increasingly recognized as a more environmentally sustainable approach to coastal protection. The ability of coastal vegetation buffer to reduce wave height and to protect the coast from erosion have been well recognized. By analyzing the pre- and post-tsunami satellite images, Danielsen et al [1] showed that mangroves and coastal trees along the coast in the Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India significantly reduced the damage caused by the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
