WP2: Mitigation of flooding/erosion hazard: innovative coastal structures and sediment management

 

Leader: Hans F. Burcharth, AAU

 

General aim is the development of innovative methods for mitigation of flooding and coastal erosion hazard in the context of increasing storminess and sea level rise (scenarios defined by WP 1). Within coastal engineering, THESEUS is proposing for the first time to adopt wave energy converters for beach defence purposes. The distance from the shore at which the converters can be placed to obtain incident wave attenuation and at the same time maximize secondary benefits will be investigated. Proper design of the converters for lower depths will be also provided. THESEUS will also examine how to reduce incident wave energy on the shores with multi-purpose structures characterised by low environmental impact as artificial reefs and bottom vegetation. THESEUS will provide insights and critical review of dike desing optimization in the two perspectives of increase structure resilience (over-washed structures with proper reinforcement) and decrease overtopping (overtopping resistant dikes with different cover layers).THESEUS will also address the issue of coastline stabilization and of the volumes of sand needed for beach maintenance. Plans of dredging and nourishment operations, management of borrow areas, reactivation of the littoral drift, estimation of plume dispersion will be analysed.


WT 2.1   Barriers for wave energy conversion (Leader: Rafal Ostrowski, IBW-PAN)

Baseline: Current design techniques of hard defences and methodologies for beach nourishment and dredging operations (ComCoast, DELOS, CLASH, BRANCH, FLOODsite, SafeCoast, EroGrass, CONSCIENCE, CORES).

Performance/ Research Indicators:
  • Inventory of prototype experience and data on coastal defence structures and technologies
  • Guidelines for the design of wave energy converters for beach defence purposes
  • Best practices for an optimised design and/or upgrading of coastal defence structures (reefs, submerged barriers, floating breakwaters, dikes), beach nourishment and dredging operations