Descripción del proyecto
Empleo de la seda de mar como una solución basada en la naturaleza para la defensa costera
La seda de mar puede contribuir a la defensa costera al atenuar las olas y estabilizar los sedimentos para reducir la erosión de la costa. Por lo tanto, el proyecto SHIEELD, financiado con fondos europeos, desarrollará herramientas novedosas para evaluar el valor protector de la seda de mar en la defensa costera en una variedad de condiciones. Sus investigadores cuantificarán la fuerza de arrastre de la seda de mar a escala de parche y su efecto en los umbrales de movilidad de los sedimentos a través de una campaña de campo específica en la que se empleará un innovador canal aforador móvil. Los hallazgos permitirán elaborar un resumen de políticas para que los gestores de recursos hídricos y los responsables políticos puedan tomar decisiones más informadas sobre las soluciones basadas en la naturaleza. El trabajo supondrá una firme colaboración interdisciplinaria en los campos de las interacciones entre el flujo y la vegetación, la mecánica de fluidos ambientales y las soluciones basadas en la naturaleza para la defensa costera.
Objetivo
Coasts worldwide are experiencing ever-increasing flood risk and coastal erosion. To simultaneously enhance the efficiency of coastal defence and improve the ecological status of coastlines, the scientific community has recently proposed the use of nature-based solutions. Eelgrass canopies have the potential to contribute to coastal defence by attenuating waves and stabilizing sediments so that coastal erosion is reduced. However, the value of eelgrass in nature-based solutions has never been assessed adequately. The ambitious goal of the SHIEELD project is to assess the protective value of eelgrass in coastal defence. To achieve this goal SHIEELD will investigate:
- The flow resistance and wave attenuation of eelgrass canopies in oscillatory flows and combined wave-current flows with laboratory experiments in an open-channel facility and using eelgrass surrogates, a novel device to measure the drag force of eelgrass at a patch scale, flow diagnostic techniques and wave gages;
- The effects of eelgrass below and aboveground biomass on sediment mobility thresholds with a dedicated field campaign using an innovative portable flume.
The project will develop novel tools, based on drag partitioning theory, to estimate eelgrass contribution to coastal defence in a range of hydraulic conditions. Findings of SHIEELD will be translated towards a policy brief so that water managers and policymakers can take more-informed decisions in the context of nature-based solutions. The proposed fellowship will enable a strong interdisciplinary collaboration between the applicant, a researcher with experience in flow-vegetation interactions, and the supervisors, an expert in environmental fluid mechanics and a world leader in nature-based solutions for coastal defence. During this fellowship the applicant will undertake advanced training to enhance his scientific, transferable and networking skills, and empower his career for a tenure track position or a consultant role.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinador
10129 Torino
Italia