My Hypothesis is that wet land will slow down waves and protect costlines from erosion.

Tsunamis

You might be asking yourself, “What is a tsunami?” Well, a tsunami is a huge wave that can be more than 30 m tall! Tsunamis are most often the result of the tectonic plates under the earth shifting, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. They can also be caused by catastrophic events, such as landslides or a meteorite impact. Warning signs of tsunamis can include earthquakes lasting longer than 20 seconds, a loud roar from the ocean, or unusual behaviour in the ocean, like if the water suddenly drains away revealing reefs and fish or if it starts to flood or look like a wall of water approaching. Tsunamis destroy everything in their path, like boats, bridges, and buildings. There can also be coastal flooding, storm surge and landslides afterwards. Tsunamis take lives and cause injuries. Between 1998-2017, more than 250 000 lives were taken by tsunamis! 

Whenever you are on a beach with tsunami hazard signs, always be careful to look at the ocean. If you happen to be on the beach when a tsunami happens it is best to run to higher ground. If you can’t get to higher ground, try to grab onto something sturdy. 

Fun Fact: The tallest tsunami ever recorded was in Lituya Bay, Alaska, in 1958.  It was a 524 m wave!

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are cyclones. Characteristics of a hurricane include violent winds, heavy rain, high waves, and storm surge. Hurricanes can also cause flooding. Hurricane season is during the months of June to November. They occur in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes are rated based on wind speed. They range from Category 1 (119-153 km/h) to Category 5 (252 km/h or higher). Despite these dangerous wind speeds, it is actually the storm surge and flooding that result in the most damage to property, injuries and deaths during a hurricane. In fact, 49% of deaths in a hurricane are caused by storm surges. 

If you live in an area where a hurricane could occur, make sure you always have an emergency kit inside your house. If a hurricane were to occur make sure to stay indoors, protect your doors and windows, stay out of the water, turn off propane tanks and most important of all, stay informed by listening to local officials. 

Fun Fact: The reason why hurricanes are given names, such as Hurricane Katrina, is because the names make it easier to communicate between meteorologists and the public. 

How Are Waves Formed?

There are three main types of waves: surface waves caused by wind,  tidal waves caused by the gravitational pull of the sun to the moon on earth, and dangerous waves like storm surges during hurricanes or tsunamis. One thing that all of these waves have in common is that they are created by energy passing through water.

Surface Waves

Surface waves are normal, everyday waves. They can form anywhere with water, such as oceans, lakes, rivers, or even puddles. The size of the wave depends on three things: the speed of the wind, the duration of the gust, and the area it’s in. When surface waves crash onto the shore they cause erosion.

Tidal Waves

Tidal waves are often mistaken for tsunamis, but they are not the same thing. In fact, tidal waves are only a meter tall. Tidal waves form where there is gravitational interaction between the sun, the moon and the earth. Tidal waves shape shorelines by transplanting sand and sediment.

The Role of Wetlands

A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that consists of either salt or freshwater and the plants and animals that live there. There are 8 types of wetlands: shallow waters/ponds, bogs, swamps, estuaries, fens, mangroves, marshes, and salt marshes. The vegetation in wetlands is adapted to thrive in wet soil and helps to stabilize the soil, preventing erosion. For example, salt marsh plants, like black needlerush and smooth cordgrass, have deep root systems that help keep them in place along bayou and bay shorelines. These roots collect sediment from the water and provide a buffer against wave energy. Wetlands are an important habitat for a wide variety of living things. For example, mangroves create a unique environment where saltwater and freshwater meet. The nutrients deposited here support billions of worms, protozoa, barnacles, oysters, and other invertebrates. These are eaten by fish and shrimp, which are eaten by wading birds, pelicans, and the endangered crocodile. Wetlands play an important role in preventing floods and cleaning water because of their ability to store and slow water. In fact, a wetland as small as two hectares can store water runoff from an area 70 times its size.  Since water moves slowly through a wetland, sediment and pollutants settle at the bottom or are filtered out by wetland plants. This stops them from entering surface and groundwater systems and results in cleaner water.  Maintaining existing or restoring wetlands is important to protecting communities and reducing the impact of climate change.

Water Erosion

Erosion occurs when soil, rock or other surface material is worn away and moved to a different location. Water is a common cause of erosion. For example, the Grand Canyon resulted from the Colorado River washing away rock and sediment over millions of years. The ocean is a big source of erosion because waves continually hitting the shore break down rock and carry it away. Over time, this can change the shape of the coastline. For example, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in the United States was originally built over 450 m from the ocean. Less than 100 years later, the coast had eroded so much that the ocean was only 37 m away and the lighthouse had to be moved. While it is a natural process, human activities, like cutting down trees or removing wetlands to build cities, can speed up erosion, putting communities at risk.

I did some research on artificial waves and discovered there are 6 types of wave machine power sources:

• Air compression
• Hydrofoil
• Levers
• Plunger
• Water dumping
• Rotating fan

My Independent varible was the model in which the waves could demostrate ersion.

My dependent varible was the amount of erosion which was caused.

My Controled varibles where the amount of water for the waves, the sizes of the slopes which the sand was on, the type of sand, the contaner which the models where heald in and the rolling pin i used to demostrate the experiment.

1. Gather all the materials.
2. Build the two models: one simulating a coastal wetland and the other simulating a coastline without wetlands.
3. Place a rolling pin under the wetland model and tilt so that the empty side of the container is down. Pour in 2 cups of water on the empty side of the container. 
4. Rock the model back and forth three times. Pause and record your observations. Repeat. 
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the second model.

Prototype #1: Fail

On January 4, I tried three different techniques to create waves. The first one was using a thermos to roll the water back and forth. When I rolled it all the way back it worked and made a big wave but it was very messy. The second thing I tried was using a burger press to push down on the water. It displaced a small amount of water, so it made a tiny wave. The third thing I tried was using a small cutting board to pull back the water. It work really well but the cutting board wasn’t big enough so it leaked from the sides. Based on these tests, I decided the best idea would be to pull back all the water with no leaks and release the water to create a wave. On January 19, I got the materials I needed to build the wave machine, including water resistant foam to pull back the water and clear plastic containers to build the model in. I cut two skinny foam pieces and then glued them to the sides of the container. I used a larger moveable foam piece in the middle that I could pull back to create the wave. I taped cardboard to this foam so that it was less bendy. The foam on the side of the container stopped most leakage but there still was some at the bottom. To fix this,  I cut a tiny bit of foam off the top and glued it to the bottom. Despite these changes, the model was very leaky.

Prototype #2: Fail

On January 30, I tried a new approach to sealing the water: cutting a large piece of foam to fit across the whole container. I glued this piece to the edges of the container and sealed the edges of the foam with silicone. This worked really well and no water leaked through. My next challenge was how to release the water to create the wave. I cut an opening in the foam to create a flap that could be pulled back, releasing the water. The water kept leaking from the cracks from the opening so it didn’t work.

Prototype #3: Success

On February 1, I decided to abandon the original plan and redesigned the wave machine.  Instead of using a foam divider, I used a rolling pin underneath the container to roll it back and forth and make a wave. I was happy with the wave I created and moved on to constructing the two different models: one of a beach with a wetland and one of a beach without a wetland. To make the wetland model, I carved a floral block into a slope. I chose this material because it can absorb a lot of water, just like wetlands do. I stuck fake plants in the block to demonstrate how wetland vegetation helps to trap sediment. Then, I put kinetic sand on the top of the floral block to represent the sand on the beach. For the second model, I used a piece of plastic to create a similar slope,  glued it to the side of the container and then sealed it with silicone. Then, I put kinetic sand on the top.

Observations

Wetland (Model 1)

Test 1

For the first test, there was no erosion, the surface stayed intact. Some water was absorbed into the floral block.

Test 2

For the second test,  the very bottom fell apart. However, the reason why this happened was because the rocking motion made it fall. None of the sand above the plants fell.

Water Collected

I was left with 150 mL of water which shows that wetlands absorb a lot of water.

No Wetland (Model 2)

Test 1

For the first test, only a bit of the kinetic sand fell off the rest stayed intact. None of the water was absorbed.

Test 2

Almost all the sand fell off its slope!

Water Collected

I collected 500 mL of water, meaning none of the water was absorbed by the model.

I belive that my project show the importants of wetlands and how they are important and that we need to save them.

In conclusion, I’ve learned that wetlands are really important and we need to make an effort to save them. They help to filter our water and the plants in wetlands stabilize our shorelines by stopping sediment from washing away. They also help prevent flooding because they hold lots of water. I’ve also learned that waves cause erosion, which is a natural process. However, human activities leading to climate change cause more severe storms, which create dangerous waves and flooding. Wetlands can help protect communities against these storms.

I have not identified any sources of error in my experiment.

• How Wave Pools Work: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/wave-pool.htm
• How Wave Pools Work - 6 Types of Wave Pool Technology Explained: https://surfaid.org/surfaid/posts/how-a-wave-pool-works-6-types-of-wave-pool-technologies-explained
• What is a swamp? https://www.ducks.ca/our-work/wetlands/what-is-a-swamp/
• Mangrove Forests: 10 Things You Should Know: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/habitats-and-regions/habitats/marine-and-freshwater/mangroves
• What is a Salt Marsh? https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/saltmarsh.html
• Salt Marsh Plants Offer Valuable Shoreline Service: https://extension.msstate.edu/news/extension-outdoors/2018/salt-marsh-plants-offer-valuable-shoreline-service
• Mangrove Swamps: https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/mangrove-swamps
• Climate Change Adaptation: Reducing Urban Flood Risk: https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en22/ENV_CCUrbFlooding_en22.pdf
• Wetlands Mitigate Flooding: https://ontarionature.org/campaigns/wetlands/wetlands-mitigate-flooding/
• Erosion: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/erosion/