Quantifying The Effect Of Ship Wake On Commonly Used Living Shoreline Treatments
Date
2021-05
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Living shorelines and hardened structures are commonly used in estuaries to mitigate erosion. Living shorelines do more than mitigate erosion though, they are a sustainable way to mitigate erosion while restoring habitat, improving water quality, and increasing sedimentation towards land. Little research has been conducted on the efficacy of living shorelines in high energy environments, like ship wake caused by cargo shipping traffic.
This study focuses on determining if common living shorelines are effective in mitigating ship wake energy caused by consistent commercial cargo ship traffic. The study was conducted on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River close to the main shipping channel. Two week-long field studies were conducted on different common living shoreline segments. The data collected were used to determine the change in energy across the living shoreline structures during ship wake. Using various living shoreline structures configurations, water depth and velocity were collected from pressure sensors and current meters seaward and landward of the living shoreline structures. The change in energy across the living shoreline structures during ship wake events was calculated using the water depth data.
Future research should conduct longer trials on permanent living shoreline structures to determine efficacy and durability of the structures in diminishing ship wake energy.
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Keywords
Shoreline structures, Pea Patch Island, Living shorelines, Wake energy