Erosion Mitigation Using Submerged Breakwater Composed of Artificial Reefs

Abstract

In this study, erosion mitigation by submerged breakwater with artificial reefs is investigated among other means of countermeasures. Beach erosion mechanism near the submerged breakwater and the performance of artificial reef blocks are analyzed in the laboratory. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional laboratory experiments are applied to the analysis. The results of two-dimensional experiments prove that new artifi-cial blocks showed a better performance than the existing blocks in terms of wave attenuation due to wave breaking turbulence near the crest of the structure. Three-dimensional experiments show reduced return flow velocity by half by installing another type of new artificial block in between submerged breakwaters. Return flow has been creating vulnerability in countermeasures by submerged breakwater. Therefore, artifi-cial reef blocks suggested by this study offer solutions to the existing mitigation problems with submerged breakwater.