Breakwaters are offshore barriers that dissipate the energy of the incoming waves before they hit the shore to stabilize and protect ecosystems of varying coastlines (Chasten et al., 1993). These structures are placed just off the shoreline based on the size of the waves and the height of the water(Chasten et al., 1993).

 

The resultant wave reduction causes sediment deposition shoreward of the structure which creates a raised platform called a salient (Chasten et al., 1993). If they are placed too far away from the site, they will not be functional.

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The effectiveness of each breakwater can be tabulated using transmission and reflection coefficients for the waves (Chasten et al., 1993). In general, breakwaters are designed to improve the longevity of shorelines.

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Decision Matrices Results:

 

Dublin Hollow site: 2.45 / 5.0

 

Dam site: 2.95 / 5.0

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Pros:

1.  Easy to maintain

2. Long life span

3. Optimal wave protection

at the Dam site