Abstract
Coastal erosion, a worldwide social issue, has garnered substantial attention. Numerous methods have been implemented to control coastal erosion problems; however, the presence of rigid structures limits erosion mitigation, thereby causing various challenges. For instance, in the case of submerged breakwaters, local scour in front of the structure and scour caused by the flow occurring in open inlets affect the subsidence and stability of the structure and can also cause structural failure. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a hybrid method of using a submerged breakwater with an artificial coral reef installation; further, this study evaluates the attenuation of waves and mitigation of sediment transportation through large-scale 3D hydraulic experiments. We found that the hybrid method with an artificial coral reef installed in the open inlet shows excellent wave control and plays a clearly beneficial role in the advancement of the shoreline. The artificial coral reef method reduced the return flow generated by the drag force at the breakwater shoulder and open inlet. In addition, scour at the breakwater shoulder was inhibited by collecting the sand escaping offshore. Simultaneously, scour at the open inlet was also mitigated. The application of the hybrid method compensated for the problems caused by local scour and erosion in the submerged breakwater, thereby leading to the improvement of its function. Therefore, the hybrid method proposed in this paper was determined to be applicable not only for submerged breakwaters, but also for various structures for controlling coastal erosion.
Highlights
As a result of global warming and abnormal weather conditions, damage from disasters such as typhoons, floods, rising sea levels, and tsunamis has increased worldwide [1,2,3]
We analyzed the characteristics of sediment transport and morphological changes in the bed; further, we evaluated the feasibility of the hybrid method to determine the role of artificial coral reefs in wave attenuation and prevention of erosion and scour by analyzing changes in the coastline and flow rate when the hybrid method was applied
To solve the problem for local scour and erosion around the open inlet of submerged breakwater, we introduced the hybrid method, which combined the submerged breakwater with artificial coral reef, and we performed three-dimensional hydraulic experiments for its feasibility
Summary
As a result of global warming and abnormal weather conditions, damage from disasters such as typhoons, floods, rising sea levels, and tsunamis has increased worldwide [1,2,3]. Hur et al [13] performed an experiment to control the flow at an open inlet by developing a submerged breakwater with a drainage channel to reduce the water-level rise behind the structure. To reduce the visual and environmental impacts of these problems, submerged structures were introduced in the 1980s Such structures are installed below the water surface, and they perform the wave energy attenuation and erosion without harming the natural landscape [21,22,23]. Waves generated through open inlets cause localized scour in the front, at the shoulder, and at the outlet of the submerged breakwater [24,25] These scour phenomena have a significant influence on the settlement and stability of the structure, and can inhibit its function [26]. We analyzed the characteristics of sediment transport and morphological changes in the bed; further, we evaluated the feasibility of the hybrid method to determine the role of artificial coral reefs in wave attenuation and prevention of erosion and scour by analyzing changes in the coastline and flow rate when the hybrid method was applied
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