Photo by V. Miller
Feb. 14, 2007
Sand Fencing
Design of Improved Sand-Fencing System to Accelerate the Growth of Sand Dunes and Prevent Coastline Erosion
Theresa Oei, 13, Hebron, Conn.
National Park Service "Explorer" Award, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2006
Project background: Theresa noticed that sand fences were erected on a beach that her family visits each year. She wondered whether a different design might help the fences capture more sand, create dunes, and slow beach erosion.
Tactics and results: Theresa experimented with different fence designs by building miniature fences with either flat slats or slats tied together to form an elbow. She placed both types of slats in either straight or zigzag configurations. She then blew sand toward the fences using a fan and measured how much sand each fence trapped.
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| Photo by V. Miller |
Theresa found that elbow slats captured more sand than flat slats did, but that the configuration of the slats made little difference. She also discovered that using an airfoil increased the amount of sand that the fences captured.
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