Abstract
During the 20th century, 5 km of hard structures (seawalls, detached breakwaters and groins) were built along 2.5 km of coast to stabilise the shoreline at Marina di Pisa (Tuscany, Italy). These reflective structures increased nearshore erosion and now a water depth of 7 m deep is found at the offshore toe of the detached breakwaters. Wave reflection pushes sediment flux offshore, inducing downdrift erosion. A project to reduce hard structures, based on their conversion into gravel beaches, is proposed here. The project layout was tested on a 2D physical model and proved to be effective as a coastal protection measure. Furthermore, it is less expensive than the maintenance costs of the present structure and produces a 30 m wide gravel beach, so offering economic benefits because of its recreational value.
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Aminti, P., Cipriani, L.E., Pranzini, E. (2003). ‘Back to the Beach’: Converting Seawalls into Gravel Beaches. In: Goudas, C., Katsiaris, G., May, V., Karambas, T. (eds) Soft Shore Protection. Coastal Systems and Continental Margins, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0135-9_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0135-9_19
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