Emma Charles
MIT Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Heidi Nepf
Undergraduate Institution: Howard University
Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Emma Charles is an international student at Howard University on the HU Achievers Scholarship, pursuing a bachelor’s in Physics with a minor in Computer Science. Originally from Jamaica, she is dedicated to merging physics and environmental engineering to address sustainability challenges, which she plans to explore further in graduate school. Emma has gained practical research experience through internships at Columbia University and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A highlight of Emma’s academic journey was representing Howard University on a study abroad trip to Guadeloupe as a Flagship Ambassador, where she gained insights into coastal issues. Emma is also active in the HU Society of Physics Students and is an attendee of the National Society of Black Physicists and PhysCon conferences. Emma is also the captain of the HU Tropical Riddimz Dance Troupe and has consistently been on the Dean’s List. Her academic pursuits are complemented by her passion for dance and travel.
Abstract
Wave Attenuation of Constructed Oyster Reefs
Emma Charles1, Hyoungchul Park2 and Heidi Nepf2
1Department of Physics, Howard University
2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Recent studies show that oyster reefs can act as natural coastal protection due to their ability to adapt to sea level rise and stabilize shorelines by reducing wave energy. The gabion type constructed oyster reef, initially deployed as a collection of shells with high porosity, eventually become non-porous as sediment and organisms collect in the reef. To evaluate the prolonged protection benefits, we need to understand how wave dissipation changes with porosity. This study aims to investigate how non-porous gabion-type constructed oyster reefs attenuate waves based on wave energy reduction, and to contrast their performance with porous gabions. Experiments were conducted using non-porous oyster gabions assembled with a solid interior of bricks and oyster shells on top to mimic natural roughness. The wave height upstream and downstream of the gabions was measured while varying the number of gabions within a fixed length at different distances and changing the total gabion length to determine optimal configurations for wave attenuation. The wave transmission coefficient was the minimum when the ratio of effective length to wavelength was 0.5. The highest wave energy loss recorded was 28% for configurations with four gabions. Uncertainty surrounds the long-term effectiveness of these constructed reefs and whether the full range of ecosystem functions will be maintained making this data crucial in order to quantify wave attenuation and provide necessary design information for development at specific field sites.
