Modelling the effects of excavation pits on fringing reefs

Many small island developing states (SIDS) are among the most vulnerable to climate change (e.g. sea level rise) and seasonal to inter-annual climate variability, and subsequently experience flooding due to swell waves and wind waves, coastal erosion and salinisation of freshwater lenses. To counteract this, reef flat mining for sand and...

Effectiveness of a multipurpose artificial underwater structure as a coral reef canopy: Hydrodynamic and ecological connectivity

The following research focuses on artificial underwater structures (a.k.a. artificial reefs) in a coral reef environment to mitigate the natural and anthropogenic pressures which reef systems are increasingly facing worldwide. The research question is stated as: “Establishing a method to determine if a multipurpose artificial underwater...

Sediment transport in a fringing reef environment: Analysis using laboratory experiments and numerical modelling

Coral reefs are highly valuable structures in many respects and it is increasingly important to understand hydrodynamics and morphodynamics around reefs to be able to better protect them and their hinterland. Flume experiments were performed on a scaled fringing reef in the laboratory facilities of Deltares in Delft. The objective of this thesis...

Low frequency wave resonance on fringing reefs

Reef systems have been estimated to exist along approximately 80% of the world’s coastlines with living coral reefs, relic limestone platforms and submerged rock formations being the most common types observed. The processes of wave breaking on a reef crest, setup on a reef and flow over and within a lagoon, have been the primary focus of...