History, Design and Construction of Submerged Offshore Structures for ...

... Beach Protection and Recreational AmenitySpeaker: Jose C. Borrero Ph.D.
Coastal Engineer, ASR Limited, Raglan, New Zealand;
Adjunct Assistant Professor, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringJose C. Borrero Ph.D.1,21-Coastal Scientist/Engineer, ASR Limited, Raglan, New Zealand 2-Adjunct Assistant Professor, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringAbstract:A successful, long-term coastal protection solution seeks to directly address and work with the natural physical processes responsible for the erosion problems, not just the effects of erosion. Time and again it has been shown that 'hard engineering' efforts such as seawalls, jetties/groynes and revetments are forms of 'land protection' – not beach protection – that can ultimately lead to increased erosion and a significant reduction in the recreational and economic value of a beach.In recent years, alternative approaches to coastal protection have proposed the use of submerged, offshore structures to dissipate and redirect wave energy in an effort to minimize beach erosion, increase the time interval between beach nourishments, reduce negative visual impacts, enhance local ecology and provide a recreational amenity in
the form of improved surfing waves or snorkeling/diving attractions.
Another class of similar structures has also been proposed for purely recreational benefits – i.e. "artificial surfing reefs" or "diving reefs" incorporated in to marine parks.This presentation will discuss the conceptualization and history of these efforts including the Narrowneck Reef located at the Gold Coast, Australia, Pratte's Reef in El Segundo California, The Mount Reef in New Zealand and the recently constructed Boscombe Reef in Boscombe, England.The presentation will also highlight the successes, failures and continuing challenges for these types of projects in terms of design, costing, construction methodology and ultimate results. The costs and sizes of such projects completed to date will also be compared to other large-scale 'traditional' coastal protection or modification works so that the projects can be seen in the proper context when direct comparisons are made.Dr. Borrero earned his Ph.D. in civil (coastal) engineering from the University of Southern California in 2002. Since 2006 he has worked with ASR Ltd., a consulting firm based in Raglan New Zealand, specializing in hydrodynamic modelling of aquatic systems, the design and implementation of innovative shore protection schemes and the design and construction of artificial surfing reefs.

Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209/ ON WEBEX

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Evangeline Reyes