A GULF OF MEXICO MARSH RESTORATION AND PROTECTION PROJECT

Abstract

A $3 million (US $) marsh restoration and protection project was constructed in 2010 along 1.6 km on the northern shore of Mississippi Sound near Bayou LaBatre, Alabama to restore about 10 ha of marsh and protect another 300 ha of an extremely productive natural salt marsh estuary - Little Bay. The project restored an historic marsh peninsula with 100,000 m3 of sand pumped from a nearby dredged material disposal area; extensive vegetation plantings including over 100,000 plants; and an offshore segmented, porous breakwater consisting primarily of individual concrete units called "wave attenuation devices† or WADs. The wave transmission characteristics of these "wave attenuation devices† were measured in original laboratory wave tests for this design. The wave transmission coefficient was found to vary, 0.4