Designing with the environment for coastal protection

Water Technology has undertaken an examination of the potential application of geotextile offshore reefs to mitigate shoreline erosion and create an environment that enhances the recruitment success of mangroves (Avicennia marina subspecies australasica) in Western Port for the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment.

The study team has reviewed the factors that affect the distribution and mortality of mangroves in Western Port and the impact of mangroves on sediment transport processes and in mitigating shoreline erosion in Western Port.

The physical processes that affect shoreline behaviour and erosion at two case study sites were investigated in detail including water level and wave data collection and numerical modelling of hydrodynamics, waves and sediment transport.

The physical process modelling has been used as a tool to inform, test and refine the design of offshore reef options for mitigating shoreline erosion problems occurring at the two study sites and to create a physical environment that assists in seedling survival, recruitment and colonisation in the lee of the structures.