The International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC) has released in its latest Terra et Aqua an article named ‘Innovative Modelling: A Tool for Coastal Developments’ .
There are numerous examples across the globe that attest to environmental damages and detrimental economic consequences that coastal developments can potentially cause if they are not carefully designed, the article stated.
In order to ensure the sustainability of a development project, Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (EISA) are carried out.
These assessments aim at reducing project impacts on hydrodynamics, sedimentary dynamics, sea bed and coastline evolutions at different stages of the project.
During construction phase there is an assessment of dredging work impact. In the short-term following construction an assessment of impacts on hydrodynamics, maintenance dredging, bed evolution in vicinity of the project are carried out.
In the long-term the assessment is aimed at bed evolution in a larger geographic scale and coastline evolution within a radius of several kilometers around the project.
Authors
Aurélie Le Dissez is specialized in complex marine and river modelling, with a PhD in numerical coastal hydrodynamics. Aurélie has developed experience and knowledge at theoretical, numerical and field levels.
Régis Walther is specialized in the fields of hydraulics and complex modelling. He works on hydraulic, water quality and sedimentological studies in maritime, estuarine and fluvial environments.
Eric Lagroy De Croutte is specialized in harbor development and coastal protection schemes. Eric has a high-level of expertise in studies of longshore drift, erosion phenomena and sedimentation.