The introduction of coastal infrastructure can impact marine environments through habitat fragmentation, unnatural materials affecting colonization, and altering intertidal zones and nearshore areas. Infrastructure like breakwaters, groynes, jetties, seawalls, pilings, docks, and aquaculture facilities can change marine life distributions, sediment movement, biodiversity, and water quality. Future research is needed to better understand how ecological processes are affected and species interact on artificial structures to help mitigate human impacts through improved ecological engineering and coastal management.

1. The introduction of coastal
infrastructure as a driver of
change in marine environments
By Fabio Bulleri and Maura G. Chapman
Presented by:
Xianbin Liu and Laura Fidalgo
Course: Coastal Environment – CIAM 6117
Department of Environmental Science
Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
Thursday, September 27, 2012

2. Introduction
 Problem – Diffident ecological
– Human settlement near shore impact studies
(75% by 2025)
– Major tourism destination
– Impacted coastal landscape
– Alteration of intertidal zone and
nearshore estuaries and marine
waters habitat
 Homogeneous topography affects
species interactions
 Unnatural Material affect
colonization
 Fragmentation

3. Introduction
 Objectives
– Summarize the
ecological impact of
urban infrastructure on
marine habitat know
today
– Discuss the implication
of alternative coastal
defense options
– Identify the direction of
future research

4. Urban Coastal
Infrastructure
 Breakwaters
– Reduce the intensity
of waves in inshore
waters
– Decreases nutrients
input and waste
wash off
– Changes marine life
distribution

5. Management Alternative
 Incorporating into shoreline stabilization
natural elements:
– Wetland Vegetation
– Seagrasses
– Coarse Woody Debris
– Shellfish Reefs
– Coral Reefs
 Reduces ecological impacts without
impinging on their efficacy in halting erosion.

6. Urban Coastal
Infrastructure
 Groynes
– Reduce along-shore
transport of
sediments

7. Management Alternative
 Small size groynes are less detrimental to
shore sediment movement.
 Sand dunes
– Protect beaches from erosion and recruit sand to
eroded beaches.

8. Urban Coastal
Infrastructure
 Jetties
– Reduce wave- and
tide-generated
currents
– Affects intertidal
organisms
biodiversity

9. Management Alternative
 Better collaboration among engineers,
managers and ecologists to develop
improved ways of building infrastructure.
 Provide habitat for more species without
compromising engineering standards.

10. Urban Coastal
Infrastructure
 Seawalls
Bulkheads
– Reduces the impact
of waves on shore
– Does not support
natural communities
assemblages
– Increases
steepness of shore
– Deeper nearshore
waters

11. Management Alternative
 (a) Intertidal ‘rock-
pools’ constructed in
the vertical face of a
seawall in Sydney
Harbour (Australia).
 Mitigates effects of loss
or degradation of rocky
platforms on intertidal
biodiversity.
 (b) Rock-pool retaining
water during low tide.

12. Urban Coastal
Infrastructure
 Pilings
– Sustain
infrastructure, such
as bridges, piers,
docks
– Shading and
seafloor proximity
affects communities
assemblages
(Glasby, 1999)

13. Management Alternative
 Height, orientation, and width of docks,
piers, and bridges may reduce impact to
vegetation productivity (Shaefer, D. and J.
(
Lundin, 1999).

14. Urban Coastal
Infrastructure
 Floating docks
– Creates boating
facilities
– Shading
consequences:
 Decrease benthic
productivity
 Decrease
carbon/nitrogen
content
 Changes in physical
characteristics in
sediment underneath
– Affects Epibiota
Structure

15. Urban Coastal
Infrastructure
 Ropes-poles/cages-
nets
– Constituents of
aquaculture facilities
– Marine water
pollution

16. Management Alternative
 Onshore fish farms are the most sustainable
types of aquaculture.
– the self-contained systems do not pollute the
marine environment.

17. Future directions for
research
 How fundamental ecological
processes are affected
 Ecological interaction on artificial
structures
 Ecological engineering

18. Concluding remarks
 Urban marine novel ecosystem need a
closer understanding
– Sustaining biodiversity
– Successful conservation and
management
– Mitigate human coastal development and
climate change effects

19. Discussion

20. Reference
 Curran, C. and D. Hoskins. 2006. Assessing the
Impacts of Floating Docks on Bottom Character and
Benthic Productivity in Coastal Georgia.
 Kunkel, C. M., R. W. Hallberg, and M.
Oppenheimer. 2006. Coral reefs reduce tsunami
impact in model simulations, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
33, L23612, doi:10.1029/2006GL027892.
 The University of Sidney wed site:
http://sydney.edu.au/science/bio/eicc/publications/journal
 Shaefer, D. and J. Lundin. 1999. Design and
Construction of Docks to Minimize Seagrass
Impacts. US Army Corps of Engineers WRP
Technical Note VN–RS–3.1 June 1999.