Author(s): Newman K. Lin; Boca Raton
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Abstract: This study was conceived and implemented to investigate the effects of artificial reefs on coastal processes. An artificial reef was deployed in eight feet of water off the beach near Sloan's Curve, Palm Beach, Florida. Field investigations and numerical simulations were performed to study the impact of the reet on the coastal processes such as nearshore currents, beach profile evolution, etc., these studies have revealed the following facts since the deployment ofthe reefeight months ago: 1. The reef does not slowdown the longshore current near the shoreline. Instead, it reduces multiple wavebreaking near the shore by converting wave energy into current energy. 2. The circulation cells produced by the reef in rough seas does not push sediment from neighboring beaches to the reef-protected beach. This shows that the reefshould not produce the Tombolo Effect. 3. The reef does not interrupt littoral drift, because the interaction between the reefand ocean waves produces a very strong longshorecurrent over the reef top. This current forces the littoral drift to bypass the reef protected area. Further, the speed of the longshore current near the shoreline is not reduced. 4. The shoreline has been very stable in the reef-protected area since deployment. This is a result of the mitigation of moderate offshore sediment transport that normallyoccurs during storm conditions.
Year: 1989