Numerical Modeling of Constructed Foredune Blowouts in the Dutch Dunes

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

M. van Manen Civil Engineering & Geosciences

Contributors

S. de Vries Coastal Engineering - CEG (supervisor 1)
P.M.J. Herman Environmental Fluid Mechanics - CEG (supervisor 1)
E.C. Hallin Coastal Engineering - CEG (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Civil Engineering & Geosciences
Copyright: © 2023 Menno van Manen
Aeolian sediment transport Constructed foredune blowout Nitrogen crisis
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Published Date

12-07-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Civil Engineering & Geosciences

Abstract

The Netherlands is a country with a history of human activity along the coast to ensure water safety. In the 1990's a new approach to coastal management was adopted that allowed for more experimentation in the Dutch dunes. Since then a slew of different types of projects have been undertaken, one of which is the construction of foredune blowouts. Foredune blowouts are gaps or indentations in the dunes from which bare sand can erode due to the wind. The motivation for the creation of constructed foredune blowouts can range from wanting to reintroduce gradients back into the landscape to ecological restoration, or water safety.
Over the years different construction methods and designs have been created, however the evaluation of these projects has been difficult in the past due to broadly defined goals and limited monitoring data. The aim of this research is to investigate the potential of constructed foredune blowouts have in achieving water safety and preserving natural values in the Netherlands by modeling constructed foredune blowouts and evaluating the effect of various design aspects.

Insight into the effects of different designs of foredune blowouts is gained through the use of a modeling study that is set up in AeoLiS, a supply-limited aeolian sediment transport model. Different combinations of width, orientation and number of foredune blowouts are simulated in a stretched profile of a section of the Dutch Coast, leading to thirty two simulations. Additionally three alternate methods of implementing foredune blowouts as well as a scenario without a foredune blowout are simulated.

Model results show a pattern of erosion in the intertidal range and deposition along the dunefoot with limited sediment traveling from the beach through the foredune blowout. There is a clear pattern of erosion and deposition along the erosional walls of the foredune blowout and a limited development of a depositional lobe behind the blowout. Simulation of a foredune blowout induced through the removal of top soil and vegetation exhibits similarities with observations in the field.

Constructed foredune blowouts offer a method of creating areas of bare sand which can create space for ecological succession in the vicinity of the blowout. The sand that is removed may also be used to reinforce weaker areas of the dune row. They can offer a diverse looking landscape if that is desirable. However model results do not indicate that constructed foredune blowouts facilitate additional growth of the dunes. The changes in bed level in the model are primarily a redistribution of sediment already situated within the primary dune row.