The sand engine or sand motor (Dutch : zandmotor) is a type of beach nourishment where a large volume of sediment is added to a coast. The natural forces of wind, waves and tides then distribute the sand along the coast over many years, preventing the need for repetitive beach nourishment. The method is expected to be more cost effective and also reduces the repeated ecological disturbances caused by replenishment. [1]
The first sand engine was constructed off South Holland in the Netherlands. A 128 ha hook-shaped peninsula was created between Ter Heijde and Kijkduin in 2011 at the request of the Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland. [2]
The sand engine differs significantly from previous beach nourishment strategies. Traditionally, shoreface nourishments consist of 1-2 million m3 of sand and these projects usually only last for 3-5 years before they need repeating. [2] For the first sand engine, an order of magnitude more sand was used and it is expected to last many times longer. [3] By depositing large amounts of sand in one go, the process can be carried out only every 10-20 years as opposed to 3-5-year cycles of traditional nourishments. This reduces disturbances to the seabed. [1] [2] Even though the initial local perturbation is quite large, the Dutch example shows that ecological stress is limited to the location of the nourishment and, over time, it stimulates the emergence of a large variety of animal and plant species. The available space for ecosystems also increases over time. [4]
Professor Marcel Stive is considered the inventor of the sand engine. [5]
The first sand engine of its kind was constructed at Ter Heijde in the Netherlands, costing 70 million euros, and was named DeltaDuin in Dutch. [6] Work began in January 2011 and conditions were favorable so the operation was completed in October 2011. Joop Atsma, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Environment, presented the project in November 2011 and his purpose was to convince that the technique could be useful on more locations along the Dutch coast. [7]
A volume of 21.5 million m3 of sand, dredged from 5-10 km offshore, [8] covered an area of 128 ha, spanning 2.4 km along the coastline and extending up to 1 km offshore. The sand was deposited in the form of a hook-shaped peninsula. [2] Wind, wave and tide action were allowed to distribute the sand further. [9] The project was designed to have a lifespan of up to 20 years, [8] however in 2016 it was concluded that it would last even longer than expected. [3] Model projections indicate that approximately 200 ha of beach area will be gained. [2]
Bringing underwater sand to the surface has enabled beachcombers to find artifacts and remains of the prehistoric inhabitants of now-submerged Doggerland. Their original context however is lost. [10]
A similar project could provide a solution between Camperduin and Petten, which is called the Hondsbossche seawall.
In 2019 a sand engine was constructed to protect the Bacton Gas Terminal and surrounding area in Norfolk, United Kingdom, shifting two million cubic meters of sand. [11]
The Afsluitdijk is a major dam and causeway in the Netherlands. It was constructed between 1927 and 1932 and runs from Den Oever in North Holland province to the village of Zurich in Friesland province, over a length of 32 kilometres (20 mi) and a width of 90 metres (300 ft), at an initial height above Amsterdam Ordnance Datum of between 6.7 metres (22 ft) along the section at Friesland, and 7.4 metres (24 ft) where it crosses the deep channel of the Vlieter. The height at the greater sea depths west of Friesland was required to be a minimum of 7 metres everywhere when originally constructed.
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward retreat of the shoreline can be measured and described over a temporal scale of tides, seasons, and other short-term cyclic processes. Coastal erosion may be caused by hydraulic action, abrasion, impact and corrosion by wind and water, and other forces, natural or unnatural.
The Battle of Scheveningen was the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place on 31 July 1653 between the fleets of the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic. The Dutch fleet suffered heavy losses.
Beach nourishment describes a process by which sediment, usually sand, lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced from other sources. A wider beach can reduce storm damage to coastal structures by dissipating energy across the surf zone, protecting upland structures and infrastructure from storm surges, tsunamis and unusually high tides. Beach nourishment is typically part of a larger integrated coastal zone management aimed at coastal defense. Nourishment is typically a repetitive process since it does not remove the physical forces that cause erosion but simply mitigates their effects.
The Maroni or Marowijne is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname.
Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in sea level damage beaches and coastal systems are expected to rise at an increasing rate, causing coastal sediments to be disturbed by tidal energy.
Goleta Beach is a region of coastline located near Goleta, California, just east of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus. A portion of the shore of Goleta Bay is managed by the County of Santa Barbara, as the Goleta Beach County Park (GBCP). The beach itself is partly man-made as sand was spread onto an existing sandspit in 1945. The beach is a seasonal habitat for migrating shorebirds, including the snowy plover, an endangered species, and is occasionally closed due to nourishment efforts.
The Aa is a small river in the Netherlands. It rises near Nederweert in the southeastern province of Limburg, in the Peel region. It flows northwest through the province of North Brabant towards 's-Hertogenbosch, roughly along the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. In 's-Hertogenbosch, at the confluence of the Aa and the Dommel, the river Dieze is formed, which flows into the Meuse a few km further. The main cities and towns along the Aa's course are Asten, Helmond, Veghel and 's-Hertogenbosch.
Adrianus Marinus Kyvon, known by his stage name André van Duin, is a Dutch comedian, actor, singer-songwriter, author, television presenter, television director, television producer and screenwriter. Van Duin is one of the Netherlands' best known entertainers, with a career spanning almost six decades.
The Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) was the largest pre-World War II shipbuilding and repair company in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, existing from 1902 to 1996. It built 355 mostly major seagoing vessels, 18 of which were submarines. During its existence, the wharf operated 12 floating docks and in its heyday employed 7,000 people at one time.
Sedimentary budgets are a coastal management tool used to analyze and describe the different sediment inputs (sources) and outputs (sinks) on the coasts, which is used to predict morphological change in any particular coastline over time. Within a coastal environment the rate of change of sediment is dependent on the amount of sediment brought into the system versus the amount of sediment that leaves the system. These inputs and outputs of sediment then equate to the total balance of the system and more than often reflect the amounts of erosion or accretion affecting the morphology of the coast.
The P.C. Hooft Award, inaugurated in 1948, is a Dutch-language literary lifetime-achievement award named after 17th-century Dutch poet and playwright Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. The award is made annually.
Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering NV (DEME) is an international group of specialised companies in the field of capital and maintenance dredging, land reclamation, port infrastructure development, offshore related services for the oil & gas industry, offshore windfarm installation, environmental remediation a.o. The group is based in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, and has current operations on the five continents.
Marcel J.F. Stive is a Dutch professor of coastal engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences of Delft University of Technology.
Meterik is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Horst aan de Maas, bordering rich farmland to the north and a moor called De Peel to the west. Meterik is located along a brook, the Kabroekse beek, which provides fertile grazing lands.
Raceway Venray, formerly known as Circuit de Peel, is a motorsport racing circuit in Venray, Netherlands. The track consists of a banked half mile oval with a flat quarter mile oval inside and features a karting track using portions of both along with dedicated sections. The track host its own local championships, national championships in cooperation with the Midland Circuit in Lelystad and Circuit de Polderputten in Ter Apel.
Burgerhout was a Dutch company in Rotterdam, active from 1852 to 1932. In 1865 it became a machine factory. In 1909 it started to build ships and in 1927 it branched out to the aircraft industry.
The Drongelens Canal is a drainage canal that runs from 's-Hertogenbosch to Drongelen in North Brabant. The colloquial Dutch name, and the name used on street signs is Drongelens Kanaal. The official Dutch name is Afwateringskanaal van 's-Hertogenbosch naar Drongelen.