This paper explores seawall-based marine ecosystems to protect coastal resources and improve livelihoods. The approach promotes renewable energy, tourism, fisheries, climate change mitigation, marine transport, and waste management. Coastal cities and low-lying islands, which are vulnerable to natural disasters, benefit from converting ocean forces into renewable energy. The goal is to develop effective, sustainable, and evidence-based coastal protection strategies.
This concept explores a novel seawall-based marine ecosystem that includes additional components and offers advantages over conventional seawalls. It is expected that this innovative approach may enhance protection against natural disasters, sea-level rise, and any other extreme events. Sustainable investments in sea defence systems can be optimised by translating measured met-ocean parameters into energy yield units. Coastal cities and low-lying islands face significant vulnerability, necessitating robust beach and sea defences to safeguard human establishments. These investments offer socio-economic benefits and promote livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health in alignment with the Blue Economy model.
The Kerala coast, including high-energy impact areas such as Shanghumugham Beach, Chellanam Harbour, and Muthalapozhi Breakwater entrance, is well-suited for pilot projects to evaluate seawall-based ecosystems. The region's predictable Indian monsoon provides reliable information on weather conditions, which helps assess energy yield. Long-term observed met-ocean data is crucial for engineering design and establishing adequate coastal protection.
This project aims to assess the impacts on local communities, provide data-driven insights on environmental health, and measure economic growth. The integration of geospatial data, met-ocean measurements, and environmental and seabed observations, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Blue Economy principles, is crucial for addressing coastal erosion, making sustainable investments, and enhancing community resilience. By leveraging carbon credit-based investments to establish a sustainable economy, we can create blue bonds that tie the community's success to the achievement of the SDGs. Progress will be measured through data-driven insights, ensuring that profits are equitably shared with the community, thereby fostering long-term resilience and economic stability.
Developing coastal protection installations requires a comprehensive understanding of local geology and ocean dynamics, particularly their influence on sediment transport and efficiency of the system to the disasters. This involves analysing coastal currents, nearshore morphology, seabed topography, waves, tides, turbulence model coefficients, sedimentation patterns, and shifts in sediment distribution. Key measurements include suspended sediment concentrations, seabed evaluations, assessments of bottom topography's impact on current variability, and an understanding of the effects of new infrastructure on coastal hydrodynamics. Continuous improvement relies on ongoing numerical calculations and advanced modelling to mitigate risks from extreme weather conditions such as cyclones, high waves, and strong currents and enhance safety and resilience against natural disasters.