Wave-attenuation performance and hydrodynamic characteristics of a plant ecological floating breakwater

With the enhancement of people's awareness of environmental protection, more and more marine ecological structures have been developed and studied. Floating breakwaters as offshore floating structures are essential to protect coastal and near-shore areas from strong wave action. This paper proposes a plant ecological floating breakwater (PEFB) in which rigid plants suitable for growing in the sea are grown on the top deck of a box-type floating breakwater. The relevant researches are carried out by a combination of model experiments and numerical simulations in a three-dimensional wave flume. The experimental PEFB is divided into three submerged depth cases, D-1 = 2H/3, D-2 = 3H/3, and D-3 = 4H/3 (H is the thickness of the box-type floating breakwater below the PEFB). The results show that PEFB exhibits better wave attenuation performance in case D-3. Floating breakwater with rigid plants has better wave attenuation performance than without plants.