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Field Observation of Seasonal Wave and Current Dynamics around a Hybrid Marsh-Rock Sill Living Shoreline


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Created: Jan 24, 2026 at 2:09 p.m. (UTC)
Last updated: Jan 26, 2026 at 2:40 p.m. (UTC) (Metadata update)
Published date: Jan 26, 2026 at 2:40 p.m. (UTC)
DOI: 10.4211/hs.e9ce9cd322944c5fa22f0bf9e0ceae75
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Sharing Status: Published
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Abstract

The combination of low-crested breakwaters, or sills, and marshes forms a common and effective coastal nature-based solution. However, uncertainty about their performance has limited their widespread adoption when compared to conventional structure-based coastal protection. In this study, we conducted nearly one year of field measurements to evaluate the functionality of a hybrid structure and vegetation feature, commonly referred to as a marsh-sill, in a relatively sheltered bay in rural Virginia. The rock sill’s crest was ~1 m high, ~1 m wide at the crest, with a 1:1.5 offshore slope, and the marsh was ~6 m wide in the direction normal to the shoreline. Wave and current sensors were deployed at multiple locations to measure hydrodynamic variables, particularly wave height and currents. Observations indicated that on average, the rock sill and marsh vegetation attenuate waves by 54% and 7%, respectively. Wave transmission through the rock sill was compared to existing empirical formulas that relate wave transmission to relative freeboard, relative structure crest width, and surf similarity, and new equations are proposed to describe the year-long field observations. Currents in the marsh behind the sill are 55% weaker than currents offshore of the rock sill. The marsh-sill was found to be effective in reducing waves and currents consistently throughout the deployment.

Subject Keywords

Coverage

Spatial

Coordinate System/Geographic Projection:
WGS 84 EPSG:4326
Coordinate Units:
Decimal degrees
Longitude
-76.4275°
Latitude
37.3244°

Temporal

Start Date:
End Date:

Content

Credits

Funding Agencies

This resource was created using funding from the following sources:
Agency Name Award Title Award Number
Virginia Sea Grant

How to Cite

Shahabi, A., N. Tahvildari, A. d. S. d. Lima, T. Miesse, C. M. Ferreira (2026). Field Observation of Seasonal Wave and Current Dynamics around a Hybrid Marsh-Rock Sill Living Shoreline, HydroShare, https://doi.org/10.4211/hs.e9ce9cd322944c5fa22f0bf9e0ceae75

This resource is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
CC-BY

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