Incorporating In Situ Wave Data Into a Living Shoreline Suitability Model for Biloxi Back Bay
About the Project
Shoreline erosion is a growing problem on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and other coastal regions. The traditional approach to erosion mitigation is shoreline hardening in the form of bulkheads, seawalls, and groins. Shoreline hardening provides protection in the short term but increases erosion and leads to habitat loss and decreased resilience over time.
Living shorelines are an alternative to hardened shorelines that integrate native vegetation and natural features into shoreline protection designs to reduce erosion and maximize ecosystem services. However, many private property owners do not know about living shorelines or how to implement them on their property.
To help property owners and land managers understand the best management for their property, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) developed a living shoreline suitability model in ArcGIS that uses geospatial data to recommend best management practices along a shoreline. This model has been adapted for many regions including Back Bay in Biloxi, MS. The VIMS model and its adaptations use wind-wave models to estimate wave energy at the shoreline. However, wind-wave models neglect the wave energy caused by boat wakes, which can lead to underestimated wave approximations and inappropriate shoreline management recommendations.
Objectives of this study
The objectives of this study are to collect wave energy measurements with wave gauges throughout Back Bay and to integrate the collected data into the living shoreline suitability model for Back Bay to improve shoreline management within the MS Gulf Coast.
