For the Instructor
These student materials
complement the
Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society
Instructor Materials.
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Initial Publication Date: December 7, 2016
Activate Your Learning
Take a few minutes to think about what you just learned.
Objective
Understand the benefits of building with nature, and distinguish smart building approaches
Look at the image below.
Figure 9.16: Photograph showing the construction of sand groins.
Credit: Courtesy of publicwiki.deltares.nl
Question 1 - Essay
In your opinion, is the construction of sand groins a building-with-nature approach?
ANSWER:
It is in fact, largely because there is no hard stabilization, or hard structures that are not native to the beach. Although temporarily the sand groins will disrupt the longshore sediment transport, they will immediately erode at their tips (seaward most position) and provide sand to adjacent beaches causing beach accretion. This shoreline instability makes the waves transform rapidly around these groins, and locally increase sand transport. Ultimately, the infusion of sediment will be diffused along several kilometers on either side of the initial placement.
Figure 9.17: Photo showing concrete cylinders placed to provide erosion protection to the shoreline and serve as substrate for oysters.
Credit: Ioannis Gergiou
Question 2 - Essay
In the image above we see concrete cylinders used for a dual purpose, first to provide erosion control along the nearby shoreline by mitigating wave transmission, and second, the potential for oysters to colonize the concrete cylinders and grow into oyster reefs. Do you consider this to be a building with nature approach, and why?
ANSWER:
While there are many options that provide erosion control and/or reduction of waves, the dual purpose and the potential to grow oysters at first suggest that this can be a building with nature approach. However, while oyster reefs are natural buffers of wave energy, the structure shown here could have negative impacts, despite some clear positive benefits. The placement of such structures is critical to the exchange of water and sediment from the open water body, and may in fact inhibit flooding of the marsh platform and ultimately limit mineral sedimentation. One should carefully examine natural processes occurring at the site of interest and determine best solutions that mimic nature, and understand that they are unique solutions that are not necessarily universal.