What Is the Most Effective Method to Reduce Erosion along Cliffsides?

Overview

Cliffsides are constantly eroding. There are numerous methods that can be used to mitigate the impact of erosion, ranging from infrastructural solutions to planting groundcover plants. The purpose of this project was to determine which erosion control method is most effective against ocean waves. Our hypothesis was that Beach Strawberries, which are a type of groundcover, would perform the best, and that the Lysimachia Nummularia Goldilocks, another groundcover, the least well. In order to test this, we created a smaller model of the cliffsides along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz and set up different methods, before testing to see which reduced erosion the most. We found that the retaining wall was the most effective in reducing erosion, and that the geocells and Beach Strawberries were the least effective. These experimental results go against our hypothesis, as in reality the retaining wall performed much better than all the other methods. From this we can conclude that a retaining wall would be more effective than geocells or groundcover plants in reducing erosion coming from ocean waves. Future studies might look at different types of erosion, such as rainfall or humidity, and use a larger model to further ensure accuracy while testing.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Environmental Engineering (Junior Division) · Entry J-11-48

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