DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION METHODOLOGY OF ANOVEL MULTI-FUNCTION ARTIFICIAL REEF FOR DUBAI

摘要

Numerical and physical modeling of waves, currents, sediment transport and morphological response were performed for a large range of artificial reef designs. The effectiveness of each design was evaluated in terms of both coastal protection and surfing amenity. The design of the reef shape progressed from a generic delta-shaped reef through a series of lens-shaped configurations and eventually led to a unique composite shelf-lens form. The new design has a number of significant advantages over earlier designs: Most notably, the shelf serves to reduce wave refraction until the waves impinge on the lens, resulting in larger peel angles along the breaker line and therefore a more surfable wave. Additionally, the new shape assists in focusing waves onto the lens shape closer inshore, resulting in an extended length of surfable wave as well as wave shadows on both sides of the reef that effectively increases the length of coastline protection. The beneficial influence of the sheltering effect of the reef is demonstrated by morphological predictions using state of the art numerical and physical modeling methods, which also demonstrated the sensitivity of reef performance as a function of its relative position offshore. Finally, the identification of a location for the proposed reef, the design of the reef and its construction methodology, as well as the environmental response to the proposed use of sand-filled geotextile containers for constructing the reef lens shape are discussed.