Research results could serve as a case study for coastal communities
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Rhode Island are
studying how to restore a dune at a local pond, which would alleviate
flood risk and improve water quality, while protecting wildlife living in the
area.
URI ocean engineering students Peter Gunn and Janelle Skaden
take some measurements at the Green Hill Pond dune.
(Photo by Lindsay Pisapio)
The dune protects Green Hill Pond, a
salt pond located mostly in South Kingstown, and is considered relatively low
and undeveloped, making the adjacent community vulnerable to flooding.
M. Reza Hashemi, associate professor
of ocean engineering and the Graduate School of Oceanography at URI, is leading
the research team.
“Many coastline communities in the
United States are facing an accelerating rate of erosion and flooding due to
sea-level rise and the intensification of coastal storms,” said Hashemi. “The
Green Hill Pond Beach represents a typical barrier beach system where a natural
dune protects the low-lying areas of the coastal zone.”
Working with Hashemi are Chris
Baxter, Annette Grilli and Malcolm Spalding from ocean engineering, John King
from the Graduate School of Oceanography, Peter Paton from the College of the
Environment and Life Sciences, Bryan Oakley, an environmental earth
science professor from Eastern Connecticut State University, and Dennis Brown
from the nonprofit organization Friends of Green Hill Pond.
One of the considerations of the project is how it will impact the area’s piping plovers, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The team will work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the plover nests.
Studying the impact on the piping
plovers is one of the five main components of the project. The other four
include site surveys and data collection; numerical modeling; dune design; and
outreach, communication with stakeholders and permitting.
One of the people involved in the
numerical modeling is Janelle Skaden, a graduate student in ocean engineering
at URI.
“I use the numerical model XBeach to
simulate the effects of storms of various strengths in the Green Hill Pond area
to determine how strong a storm would need to be to rise over the top of the
dunes,” said Skaden, who is from Marshfield, Wisconsin. “Simulations were
run for the current dune elevations and for a reconstructed dune scenario, with
comparisons made for the amount of erosion and accretion.”
Beach recovery processes following
severe storms is the subject of Skaden’s master’s thesis. Her interest in the
topic was inspired by watching the region recover from Hurricane Sandy.
The potential impact of storms on
the Green Hill Pond dune during the lifetime of the project is one of the
challenges the research team faces.
“Understanding and
predicting the response of a beach, dune or a coastal protective
structure to storms is challenging,” said Hashemi. “There is no way to
predict the magnitude and frequency of storms over the lifetime of the project.
We can examine historical data, but that may not accurately represent the
future.”
The 18-month project, which will
conclude on Nov. 30, 2021, will cost $258,000 and is partially funded by the
National Coastal Resilience Fund.
Hashemi hopes the team’s research
will someday serve as a case study for restoration projects elsewhere in
the United States.
“Our integrated approach, which
includes computer modeling, in-situ surveys, environmental studies and
stakeholder engagement, will provide valuable information for coastal
communities and experts in many similar areas elsewhere, in terms of
methodology, data and how to address stakeholder issues and permitting
challenges,” said Hashemi.