Rojas Vázquez, Christian A.

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    Evaluation of the Bajo Blanco sand shoal as a beach nourishment borrow site for eroding beaches at Rincón, Puerto Rico
    (2016) Rojas Vázquez, Christian A.; Canals Silander, Miguel F.; College of Engineering; Zapata López, Raúl E.; Aponte Bermúdez, Luis; Rodríguez Abudo, Sylvia B.; Department of Civil Engineering; Grove, Kurt A.
    The coast of Rincón, Puerto Rico, has been experiencing long-term erosion for the last several decades. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the Bajo Blanco sand shoal, located just offshore of these eroded beaches, as a possible beach nourishment borrow site for these eroding beaches. A sediment compatibility analysis indicates an excavation volume of over 1,000,000 m3 is necessary in order to nourish the beach and the desired 35 meter berm width. To study the response of the wave climate to dredging this amount of sand from Bajo Blanco, two dredging scenarios were simulated using the Coastal Modeling System (CMS) numerical model. Case 1 consists of a single extraction area with a dredge depth of 7 meters beneath the actual seabed, while Case 2 involves two extraction areas, both with a dredge depth of 9 meters. Results indicate that, for both cases, these dredge areas cause a decrease in wave energy shoreward and an increase in wave energy at the edges of the dredge areas. Morphology change simulations suggest that these changes in wave energy in response to dredging could lead, in the long term, to significant sediment erosion and accretion patterns which could impact beach morphology. Further dredging configurations should be evaluated in order to minimize the effects of the dredge area on the nearshore wave climate and sediment transport patterns. One alternative would be to consider a reduction in the berm width, which would significantly reduce the necessary dredge volume. Optimization of the dredging configuration using further numerical simulations is also recommended, with an elongated dredge area seaward of the shoal crest and parallel to the shelf edge being a particularly attractive option.