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Evaluation of the Performance of Breakwater Designs at a Coastal Marsh Shoreline Using a Smartphone-Based Wave Intensity Sensor (WILSON)

JSHS · 2025

Nora Morton, Jim Dugan · Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, NY

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Overview

Coastal wetlands, vital for wildlife habitat and natural flood defense, are critically threatened by sea level rise and eroding damage from wakes and waves created by recreational boating. Scientists, engineers, and coastal communities have partnered to te st various “living shoreline” structures intended to reduce wave impacts on marsh. Comparing the efficacy of various breakwaters in reducing wave heights, I created a novel cost -effective wave action device, the Wave Intensity Logging Sensor Of Nora or “WI LSON” and deployed it to compare three breakwaters protecting adjacent areas of the Intracoastal Waterway in New Jersey: Breakwater 1 (interlocking concrete blocks), Breakwater 2 (triangular concrete structures), and Breakwater 3 (geosynthetic tubes). The WILSON included an anchor, a float, and an iPhone operating SensorLog acceleration data collection. In 2024, I collected data from four units simultaneously, monitored boat and wave activity by a camera, and compared open water to individual breakwaters. Mean isolated -wave heights were reduced 57% by Breakwater 1, 21% by Breakwater 2, and only 11% by Breakwater 3, (p<.001) Breakwaters ⅔ insignificant from open water. In 1 hour intervals of ambient waves, Breakwater 1 reduced wave height 84%, Breakwater 2 re duced wave height 70%, Breakwater 3 attenuated 51% (not significant) and waves were reduced 21% across Open Water (no breakwater) (p≈0.001). This constructed a reproducible method to collect wave data in a cost -effective manner accessible to students, teac hers, or researchers. These studies can help inform coastal resilience infrastructure decisions and contribute to protection of both natural habitats and adjacent coastal communities.

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Competition history

  • JSHS 2025 Category not listed

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Source: Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

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