Coastal cities around the country are exploring structural engineering options for defending against extreme storms and the resulting surges of ocean water that cause massive flooding. Storm surge barriers can effectively protect harbors and minimize flooding, property damage, and loss of life during large storms. However, even when gates are open, the barriers may reduce water flow and tidal exchange, which in turn could affect water quality and ecological processes.
Storm surge barriers typically span the opening of a harbor or river mouth and include gates that are closed only when storm surges are expected.
Scientists and engineers are increasingly recognizing the need for collaboration on research that more fully explores the advantages and disadvantages of large surge barriers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, states of New York and New Jersey, and New York City partnered in 2018 under the Harbor and Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (HATS) to evaluate surge barriers and other options to manage coastal storm risks.
The project modeled and analyzed the physical effects of surge barriers and hosted a series of workshops to synthesize and share information. The Hudson River Estuarine Research Reserve contributed expertise on the surrounding estuary ecosystem and was a key component in understanding environmental impacts of the surge barriers.
A final workshop, held January 28, 2020, shared project results, provided an update on the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries (HAT) Feasibility Study, and developed a future research agenda on the effects of gated storm surge barriers. The project may be of interest to stakeholders in the Hudson River estuary and New York/New Jersey harbor, and is relevant to anyone interested in surge barriers worldwide.
project documents
This document describes the purpose of the Dams and Sediment in the Hudson (DaSH) project, the functions of the Technical Team and Advisory Committee, and the results of the modeling and field work. It also includes a list of the project products, the main project findings, and potential next steps.
This tool is designed to give dam owners and decision makers in the Lower Hudson River valley a method for assessing dam sediment inventories. It can also serve as a blue print for extension beyond the Hudson to the greater Northeast Region.
This document explains the DaSH project findings on sediment. It includes a description of how sediment is transported through the watershed and becomes trapped behind dams, and how dam removals would affect sediment the Hudson River Estuary.
This document describes how tidal marshes in the Hudson River Estuary developed due to shoreline modifications. It explores the age of wetlands, human impacts to wetland development, and proposed future research to investigate why did some areas developed into marsh while others did not.
presentations
Presented via the NERRS Science Collaborative.
Brian Yellen presented ‘Rapid Tidal Marsh Development on the Hudson during Period of Tributary Damming and Shoreline Modification’ at the Edward A. Ames Seminar of the Hudson River Foundation in April, 2020.
Articles
- McKeon K, Woodruff JD, Yellen B, Fernald SH, Sheehan MC. 2021. Invasive water chestnut hinders tidal wetland development. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms. 2022;1-16. AVAILABLE HERE
- Ralston DK, Yellen B, Woodruff JD. 2020. Watershed suspended sediment supply and potential impacts of dam removals for an estuary. Estuaries and Coasts. 44, 1195-1215 (2021). AVAILABLE HERE
- Ralston DK, Yellen B, Woodruff JD, Fernald S. 2020. Turbidity
hysteresis in an estuary and tidal river following an extreme discharge event. Geophysical Research Letters, 46, e2020GL088005. https://doi.org/
10.1029/2020GL088005. AVAILABLE HERE - Yellen B, Woodruff JD, Ladlow C, Ralston DK, Fernald S, Lau W. 2021. Rapid tidal marsh development in anthropogenic backwaters. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms. 2021;1–20. AVAILABLE HERE
