Coastal Sand Management System

Interruption of sand transport is the most persistent worldwide coastal problem. Wave action produces sand transport which is not a problem in some areas but in others results in coastal erosion, obstruction of harbor entrances, and permanent loss of sand. Conflict between saving sand and bypassing it is caused by a lack of methods to manage this valuable resource. Separate elements of control have been used with varying degrees of success; now it is proposed to incorporate subsystems into an integrated system for management of the littoral transport. A coastal sand management system is to be evaluated using three principal subsystems: (1) a mobile jet pump for use with a crater sink and fluidization accessories; (2) interlocking inertial modules which simulate structural materials because of high intergrain stresses; and, (3) the tactical deployment of phase dependent roughness elements to direct (or reverse) the net transport of sand.

A coherent sand management system promises to make a start toward true control of littoral sand transport. In addition, there is the prospect of eventually establishing the first self maintaining harbors.

It is attractive to consider systems which would be operative within reasonable cost, which may be entirely submerged, and which are capable of operating without regard to surface seakeeping problems.

Some aspects of the system indicate possible use of the mobile jet pump as a means for estimating longshore transport in the field, use in archaeology, and as a dredging and maintenance tool for small nations whose investment capital could not support massive dredging operations.