{"id":18213,"date":"2023-09-08T17:24:23","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T22:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\/?p=18213"},"modified":"2025-02-26T10:22:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T16:22:36","slug":"a-review-of-innovative-technologies-for-erosion-and-flooding-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewn.erdc.dren.mil\/a-review-of-innovative-technologies-for-erosion-and-flooding-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"A Review of Innovative Technologies for Erosion and Flooding Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Roughly 40% of the United States population lives in coastal counties [1] that are vulnerable to erosion and flooding due to sea level rise and coastal storms. Many different types of coastal protection methods have been deployed in these areas to help protect communities from the impacts of sea level rise and storms. These protection methods can be sorted into two main categories, nature-based and hard structures. Hard structures such as seawalls, breakwaters, and groins have been known to disrupt natural, alongshore processes and sediment transport, causing additional issues downstream of the structures [2]. Additionally, grey infrastructure is unable to adapt with the constantly changing environment. Nature-based features, such as salt marshes, artificial reefs, living shorelines, and floating vegetated platforms, on the other hand have the ability to adapt with changes in the environment, provide habitat, and enhance ecosystems [2]. High energy areas tend to require hard structures to help protect communities and infrastructure, however, nature-based features can be implemented in correlation with the hard structures to provide ecological benefits and mitigate some of the adverse impacts of the hard structures [2]. A recent development in the field of nature-based features is the Emerald Tutu.\u00a0 Emerald Tutu is a connected system of floating vegetated platforms designed to reduce wave energy and storm damage while improving water quality (Figure 1). Results from a laboratory study conducted by Emerald Tutu found a relationship between the overall network geometry and the incident wavelength and the mat performance [3].<\/p>\n\n\n

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Figure 1: Rendering of potential community interaction with the Emerald Tutu floating platforms that will provide protection to the city from storm impacts and improve water quality.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Floating platforms (vegetated and unvegetated) have been studied by scientists and engineers to understand their ability to provide protection in coastal areas. Some key findings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n