Definition
The Beach drainage is counted among soft coastal protection systems, able to defend sandy beaches from erosion with a low impact on environment. It is constituted by one or more drains placed parallel to the coastline, under the emerged beach face, aimed at enhancing sea water infiltration inside the beach. The pipes are connected through blind pipes with a well, from where the water is pumped out and then transported back to the sea or to another destination. The system induces a water table lowering and, consequently, an increase in the thickness of the unsaturated zone. The relative low water table enhances up-rush fluxes infiltration, allowing sediments deposition on beach face and reducing sea-ward sediment transport. To date, drainage efficacy in restoring eroded beaches is not well defined. For this reason, it can be considered as an auxiliary system for defense works management, such as a beach nourishment in order to increase its life-time.
Overview
The system was...
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Saponieri, A. (2019). Beach Drainage. In: Finkl, C.W., Makowski, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93806-6_370
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93806-6_370
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