Wave Energy Reduction System

Abstract

A method and apparatus for creating moderately quiescent water in which 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 is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 13 / 847,342, filed on Mar. 19, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 614,455, filed Mar. 22, 2012, wherein both of these priority applications are incorporated herein by reference in their 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 emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses can endure and eventually become established. To this end, the present invention reduces wave energy without completely eliminating it.[0005]Spartina alterniflora is a perennial deciduous grass that is found in intertidal wetlands, particular...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a method and device that reduces the size and force of waves passing through geotextile material in a line. This creates a calm, shallow water surface that allows salt marsh wetlands grass to grow and withstand the waves. After the grass is established, the rolls of geotextile material can be removed and replaced at another location. The invention also prevents sediment from attaching to the grass and promoting shoreline erosion. It is made of readily accessible and cost-effective materials, and can be installed and removed easily. The object of the invention is to protect the emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses from wave energy without causing any problems or deficiencies.

Problems solved by technology

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

Attempts to establish salt marsh wetland 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.

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.

Beyond this, the logs restrict the accumulation of sediment around the salt-marsh wetland grasses, thereby undermining the very stability of these grasses.

As such, they do not aid in the establishment of emergent salt marsh wetland grasses.

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 compromise the establishment of emergent salt marsh wetlands grasses.

This shares the same problem as the teaching of Carpenter (U.S. Pat. No. 7,695,219): a blanket placed flat on the ground is largely useless for protecting salt marsh grasses from wave energy.

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