Assessment of the Performance of an Artificial Reef Made of Modular Elements through Small Scale Experiments

Abstract

Artificial reefs have proven to be an optimal and effective solution in stabilizing coastlines around the world. They are submerged structures that imitate the protection service provided by natural reefs accomplishing the functions of dissipating wave energy and protecting beach morphology, but also being an ecological solution. In this paper, 2D small-scale experiments were performed to analyze the hydrodynamic, morphological, and ecological behavior of an artificial reef constructed of modular elements. Two typical beach-dune profiles were constructed in a wave flume over which two locations of an artificial reef were tested. From these tests, transmission coefficients were obtained as well as the beach profile response to the presence of the artificial reef. These results are used to discuss about the hydrodynamic, morphological, and ecological performance of the artificial reef. The proposed artificial reef showed good morphological performance while its hydrodynamic function had limited success. In turn, the ecologic performance was theoretically addressed.

Coral Reef Geometry and Hydrodynamics in Beach Erosion Control in North Quintana Roo, Mexico

“…As biodiversity and ecosystem services continue to be lost on tropical coastlines, nature-based approaches are increasingly proposed as a solution to protect communities. These alternatives, focus on imitating the performance of natural ecosystems and their ecological functions, unlike more traditional coastal structures such as breakwaters (Cardenas-Rojas et al, 2021). In this context, reef-building species such as Acropora palmata are considered to provide fast and effective reef restoration, given their significant coral cover and the complex topography they provide (Bruckner et al, 2002;Alvarez-Filip et al, 2009).…”

A Study on the Application of Low Crest Structures to Reduce Wave Overtopping

“…현 재까지 월파에 대한 연구는 많은 연구자들에 의해 진행되어 왔으며 저마루 구조물에 대한 연구결과도 제시되고 있다 (Takayama and Ikeda, 1988;Jung and Yoon, 2019). 하지 만 실해역에서 발생되는 현상 해석은 기존 매뉴얼 (Pearson et al, 2004;EuroTop, 2018) Beomil-ro 579 beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 25601, Korea, Tel: +82-33-643-3436, Fax: +82-33-647-3436, khkim@cku.ac.kr) ***건우기술단 이사(Director, Keonwoo Engineering Corperation) 저감에 상대적으로 유리하다 (Tanaka et al, 2013;Koraim et al, 2014;Cardenas et al, 2021). 하지만 저마루 구조물에 대한 연구는 대부분 단면실험을 통해 이루어진 결과이므로 실 해역에 적용시 다소 차이가 존재할 수 있다 (Lee et al, 2017;Lee et al, 2019;Lee et al, 2020) (1) 여기서, q * cal : 무차원 월파량, q cal : 이론식을 이용한 추정 월 파량, g: 중력가속도, H' 0 : 환산심해파고이며 q cal (2)은 여러 가 지 변수를 통해 산출이 가능하기 때문에 간략히 정리하면 다 음과 같다.…”

Artificial reefs built by 3D printing: Systematisation in the design, material selection and fabrication

“…The use of ARs is a technique that helps the recovery of environmentally degraded coastal areas and complements the existing natural ones, creating a favourable habitat for the development of marine life [1,2], even emulating the capacity of natural reefs to support marine life [3]. They also have social and economic benefits for local fishing communities [4,5], are used to stabilise marine coasts [6], protect the seabed from trawling methods [6], and promote diving tourism [2], among others. The immersion of ARs in marine coasts has been applied for years in various parts of the world using different objects, such as used cars, wrecks, tyres, stone or concrete blocks, and more recently, pre-designed elements with shapes that tend to reproduce natural environments [6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…They also have social and economic benefits for local fishing communities [4,5], are used to stabilise marine coasts [6], protect the seabed from trawling methods [6], and promote diving tourism [2], among others. The immersion of ARs in marine coasts has been applied for years in various parts of the world using different objects, such as used cars, wrecks, tyres, stone or concrete blocks, and more recently, pre-designed elements with shapes that tend to reproduce natural environments [6][7][8][9][10]. Some research suggests that the use of concrete as a manufacturing material for artificial reefs, together with high surface roughness, allows for more efficient biological colonisation [3,10].…”