Using 3-D Imaging to Evaluate Physical Processes on Living Shorelines

Jones, Joshua Christopher

Using 3-D Imaging to Evaluate Physical Processes on Living Shorelines

Authors

Jones, Joshua Christopher

Abstract

There is little quantifiable data on the effect living shorelines have on wave energy. Multiple studies have measured long-term effects over two to five years but only a few have looked at how living shorelines affect individual waves or tidal-scale time periods. Wave lab facilities are one method typically used to measure wave impacts but pose cost and logistical problems for evaluating living shorelines. This project utilizes stereoscopic video imaging techniques to evaluate the effect manmade oyster reef living shorelines have on wave height and energy. To assist the scientific community with exactly this type of stereo image analysis, the Italian Institute of Marine Sciences developed a 3D reconstruction software called the Wave Acquisition and Stereo System (WASS). Two pairs of cameras offset from each other recorded videos that were processed with structure from motion technologies to attempt to produce a three-dimensional (3D) video for wave interactions with an oyster reef and a nearby control site. This project discovered that due to the nature of the small scale of living shorelines, more advances in 3D processing must be made to quantify their effects on waves. This project outlines a methodology that could be used for future research and includes qualitative and quantitative measurements of surface roughness, vice distinct wave parameters.