Successful Use of Modelling for Sustainable Dredging Projects
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XXII - Enhance the Harmony between Dredging and Ecology
Authors:
J. Spearman and M. Lee
Abstract
"Realizing sustainability in the development of water infrastructure, especially where dredging is concerned, is increasingly important in modern infrastructure design. This is because the incorporation of natural features and considerations into the design can provide economically advantageous schemes which also provide enhanced eco-system services. Modelling is a key part of achieving this goal – but rather than the use of modelling to merely avoid adverse impact, modelling can and should be used to explore opportunities to enhance nature alongside the provision of engineering infrastructure and provide win-win solutions. Amongst the various different models normally considered in studies associated with sustainable infrastructure design, i.e. those involved with identifying potential physical and chemical effects ecological modelling now plays a much more expanded role. This ecological modelling includes a variety of different model types which incorporate the effects of biology and ranges from small enhancements of existing hydrodynamic models – such as the inclusion of the effects of drag caused by vegetation in wave models – to models representing more detailed aspects of biology - such as individual-based models (IBM) of fish behaviour or habitat models which evaluate changes in biomass under different environmental conditions. Examples of the use of these ecologically-orientated models in studies for sustainable development are presented and discussed. The role of modelling in general - what it can do, what it can’t do, and what it needs to be used successfully - is often poorly understood and this in turn can lead to poorer design and environmental outcomes. In particular, there are differences in the way models need to be applied at different stages of the project and in the data requirements for each stage of modelling. The understanding of these differences, and in the way data collection needs to be incorporated into the project schedule, can be key to efficient design and gaining regulatory consent. This paper provides guidance on how different types and aspects of modelling integrate with the different phases of the project schedule - from planning and design and option selection, to impact assessment and construction management - and highlights the key considerations at each step."
Keywords: sustainable dredging, modelling, measurement, ecological modelling, individual-based models