Wave Energy Reduction System

Abstract

A method and apparatus for creating moderately quiescent water in which transplanted emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses can endure and eventually establish without the need for eliminating the energy of occurring waves.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61 / 614,455 filed Mar. 22, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not applicable.REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX[0003]Not applicable.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]The present invention relates generally to a wave energy reduction method and apparatus for creating moderately quiescent water in which transplanted emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses can endure and eventually become established.[0005]Spartina alterniflora is a perennial deciduous grass that is found in intertidal wetlands, particularly estuarine salt marshes. S. alterniflora is the primary emergent salt marsh wetlands grass in many parts of the United States. S. alterniflora grows out of the water at the seaward edge of a salt marsh. Ninety percent of it...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for reducing wave energy in water to create calm water where emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses can endure and become established without the need for eliminating the energy of incoming waves. This is done by using a line of geotextile material rolls that help reduce the size and force of incoming waves, creating a moderate amount of quiescent water. The invention is different from other solutions because it attempts to abate wave energy, rather than eliminate it altogether. It also allows sediment to attach to the salt marsh wetlands grasses without preventing shorline erosion. The invention is easy to install and remove with minimal labor and materials cost. Its objective is to protect emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses from wave energy without incurring the problems or deficiencies associated with prior solutions.

Problems solved by technology

In many coastal locations where S. alterniflora and other salt marsh wetlands grasses once existed, excessive wave energy from the coastal waters makes it difficult, if not impossible, for such grasses to be reestablished.

Attempts to establish salt marsh wetlands grasses along the shoreline typically result in mechanical damage to the plant leaves and, ultimately, death to the plant itself.

As a result, the failure to reestablish salt marsh wetlands grasses compounds the problem of shoreline erosion.

Several solutions currently exist for preventing shoreline erosion, but these methods hardly address the issue of protecting emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses.

Such barriers are expensive to purchase, difficult to place, and difficult to remove.

Concrete is heavy, and as such, the time and manpower to add these barriers can be prodigious.

While such methods may aide in reducing shoreline erosion, they do little to protect emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses from wave energy.

This solution, while capable of abating wave energy, creates the costly step of packing fibers into the tubular casing.

Furthermore, such fiber logs are difficult, if not impossible, to reuse since they are biodegradable.

Most require the inclusion of some type of fill material, making them relatively complex to construct and often impractical for installation and removal by limited numbers of personnel.

Also, the use of fill material will necessarily limit the amount of sediment allowed to pass through the barriers, which in turn will limit the desired growth of salt marsh grasses.

This shares the same problem as Carpenter's teaching—a blanket placed flat on the ground is largely useless for protecting salt marsh grasses from wave energy.

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