Defining boat wake impacts on shoreline stability toward management and policy solutions

Bilkovic, Donna Marie; Mitchell, Molly; Davis, Jennifer; Herman, Julie; Andrews, Elizabeth Armistead; King, Angela; Mason, Pamela; Tahvildari, Navid; Davis, Jana L. D.; Dixon, Rachel L.

doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104945

Cited by 48 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Thrust fields from propellers and wash/depression waves from moving vessels potentially result in resuspending bottom sediments and physically impacting benthic and shoreline communities and habitat through bank and bed erosion [91][92][93][94][95]. Bottom resuspension may result from thrust fields from vessel propellers or solitary long waves that cause increased water velocities inducing resuspension.…”

Section: Propeller Wash and Vessel Wakementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within protected aquatic environments where ambient wave energy is minimal, vessel wakes generated by recreational boats may also represent a substantial source of erosive energy directed at shorelines resulting in undercutting of banks, marsh loss, or degradation and disturbance to faunal communities [93,95,99]. The energy content of a produced wake impacting shorelines is influenced by vessel speed, hull-shape and displacement, vessel length and vessel proximity to the shoreline (i.e., distance travelled by the wake) [93,95,99,100]. Any resulting bank erosion or disruption to bank integrity is then dependent on factors such as shoreline type, slope, water levels and vegetation community type, root depth and density [11,93,95].…”

Section: Propeller Wash and Vessel Wakementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The energy content of a produced wake impacting shorelines is influenced by vessel speed, hull-shape and displacement, vessel length and vessel proximity to the shoreline (i.e., distance travelled by the wake) [93,95,99,100]. Any resulting bank erosion or disruption to bank integrity is then dependent on factors such as shoreline type, slope, water levels and vegetation community type, root depth and density [11,93,95]. Wake disturbance may also cause physical damage to oyster reefs and emergent and floating water plants leading to changes in the distribution of [81], Impacts of marine plastic pollution from continental coasts to subtropical gyres-fish, seabirds, and other vertebrates in the SE Pacific, 238, Copyright (2018), frontiersin.org, (CC BY).).…”

Section: Propeller Wash and Vessel Wakementioning

confidence: 99%

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Boating- and Shipping-Related Environmental Impacts and Example Management Measures: A Review

Byrnes¹,

Dunn²

2020

JMSE

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Boating and shipping operations, their associated activities and supporting infrastructure present a potential for environmental impacts. Such impacts include physical changes to bottom substrate and habitats from sources such as anchoring and mooring and vessel groundings, alterations to the physico-chemical properties of the water column and aquatic biota through the application of antifouling paints, operational and accidental discharges (ballast and bilge water, hydrocarbons, garbage and sewage), fauna collisions, and various other disturbances. Various measures exist to sustainably manage these impacts. In addition to a review of associated boating- and shipping-related environmental impacts, this paper provides an outline of the government- and industry-related measures relevant to achieving positive outcomes in an Australian context. Historically, direct regulations have been used to cover various environmental impacts associated with commercial, industrial, and recreational boating and shipping operations (e.g., MARPOL). The effectiveness of this approach is the degree to which compliance can be effectively monitored and enforced. To be effective, environmental managers require a comprehensive understanding of the full range of instruments available, and the respective roles they play in helping achieve positive environmental outcomes, including the pros and cons of the various regulatory alternatives.

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Section: Propeller Wash and Vessel Wakementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Propeller Wash and Vessel Wakementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Propeller Wash and Vessel Wakementioning

confidence: 99%

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Boating- and Shipping-Related Environmental Impacts and Example Management Measures: A Review

Byrnes¹,

Dunn²

2020

JMSE

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“…External forcing from sea-level rise, storms, and anthropogenic modifications [3,4] create highly dynamic conditions for coastal wetland evolution, often causing wetland loss through shoreline erosion, interior peat collapse, and submergence. Shoreline erosion is a primary cause of wetland loss in many parts of the world [5] and erosion has been linked to wind-driven waves, sediment availability and delivery, boat traffic, and sea level rise [6][7][8][9][10]. Changes in sea level, sediment delivery, and storm frequency and intensity in coastal areas due to climate and other environmental changes increases the threat of these hazards on wetland survival [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal Wetland Shoreline Change Monitoring: A Comparison of Shorelines from High-Resolution WorldView Satellite Imagery, Aerial Imagery, and Field Surveys

et al. 2021

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Shoreline change analysis is an important environmental monitoring tool for evaluating coastal exposure to erosion hazards, particularly for vulnerable habitats such as coastal wetlands where habitat loss is problematic world-wide. The increasing availability of high-resolution satellite imagery and emerging developments in analysis techniques support the implementation of these data into shoreline monitoring. Geospatial shoreline data created from a semi-automated methodology using WorldView (WV) satellite data between 2013 and 2020 were compared to contemporaneous field-surveyed Global Position System (GPS) data. WV-derived shorelines were found to have a mean difference of 2 ± 0.08 m of GPS data, but accuracy decreased at high-wave energy shorelines that were unvegetated, bordered by sandy beach or semi-submergent sand bars. Shoreline change rates calculated from WV imagery were comparable to those calculated from GPS surveys and geospatial data derived from aerial remote sensing but tended to overestimate shoreline erosion at highly erosive locations (greater than 2 m yr−1). High-resolution satellite imagery can increase the spatial scale-range of shoreline change monitoring, provide rapid response to estimate impacts of coastal erosion, and reduce cost of labor-intensive practices.

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“…While natural riverbank erosion is primarily driven by water flow and tidal action, the waves generated by the passage of powered vessels can be a significant contributor to bank erosion in some river systems (Bilkovic et al, 2017; Macfarlane, Duffy, & Bose, 2014). In systems with a restricted wind fetch, particularly narrow shallow rivers boat wake erosion can be a dominant process (Bilkovic et al, 2019; Houser, 2010). The wave generated from a boat results in turbulence scours and suspension of sediment, with eroded material being drawn into the river and transported downstream (e.g., Bilkovic et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bank erosion in a macrotidal tropical river: Exploring the relative impact of boat wash on riverbank erosion

Novak

Fairfield

Miloshis

et al. 2020

River Research & Apps

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Macrotidal tropical rivers are dynamic systems where wet‐season floods and tidal flows cause significant riverbank erosion and sediment transport. This study aimed to explore patterns of riverbank erosion and deposition in a large, tropical, macrotidal river in Northern Australia; the Daly River. In particular, we aimed to determine if recreational boat use was impacting bank erosion in this dynamic river. Erosion pins were installed at multiple levels on both banks at 10 sites along a 34 km reach of the river. Measurements were made every four to six weeks during the low water dry season, and opportunistically during the wet season (flooding period) and seasonal transition periods. A bank geotechnical assessment, riverbed cross‐sections and site bathymetry were undertaken. Whilst the wet season was a period of substantial erosion (mean rate of 0.64 mm day−1), the highest mean erosion rate (3.6 mm day−1) was observed in the early dry season (April to May), a period of stabilizing water levels but greatest boat traffic. Bank erosion at this time was measured on both sides of the river and the inside of meander bends, which is atypical of normal riverine bank erosion patterns, and indicative of erosion due to boat wash. As the dry season progressed, significant spatial differences in erosion rates were evident, where erosion was observed at sites upstream of a large shallow sand bar, while sites downstream from the sand bar gained material through the deposition of tidally transported sediment. This study highlights the importance of understanding the significance and interaction of various erosive factors in tropical tidal rivers and has demonstrated that boat wash may be an important contributor to dry season bank erosion in these systems. We encourage management agencies to consider the role of boats in any future river management program in these systems.

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Defining boat wake impacts on shoreline stability toward management and policy solutions

Cited by 48 publications

References 16 publications

Boating- and Shipping-Related Environmental Impacts and Example Management Measures: A Review

Boating- and Shipping-Related Environmental Impacts and Example Management Measures: A Review

Coastal Wetland Shoreline Change Monitoring: A Comparison of Shorelines from High-Resolution WorldView Satellite Imagery, Aerial Imagery, and Field Surveys

Bank erosion in a macrotidal tropical river: Exploring the relative impact of boat wash on riverbank erosion

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