Date of Award
5-2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Earth & Environmental Science
Department
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Major Professor
Georgiou, Ioannis; Foster-Martinez, Madeline
Second Advisor
Mahon, Robert
Abstract
Shoreline protection structures are a common response to lateral erosion in marshes, but limited studies exist on how they influence sediment supply and the resulting ecogeomorphology. This study investigates the impacts of marine mattresses, geotextile cages filled with riprap, in Lake Borgne, LA. A field study was conducted during cold front passages at a site with marine mattresses and a proximal control site without, collecting measurements of water depth, wave energy, lateral erosion, sediment accumulation, vegetation, and sediment characteristics. Wetlands with marine mattresses attenuated waves more than their natural marsh edge counterparts, which have limited conditions favorable for sedimentation. However, the lateral position of the marsh was maintained, while the control site eroded at an average rate of 1.7 meters per year. Water content, organic matter, bulk density, salinity, and pH were similar between the sites, but the marine mattress site was lower in elevation and contained finer sediments.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Villers, Jessica J., "The Impact of Shoreline Stabilization on Sediment Supply and Ecogeomorphology: Assessing Marsh Response to Altered Wave Energies, Lake Borgne, Louisiana" (2022). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2966.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2966
Included in
Geomorphology Commons, Other Earth Sciences Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons, Soil Science Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.