Small-Scale Submerged Breakwater Testing to Protect a Rio De Janeiro Beach

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the vulnerability of Leme Beach, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to the risk of sand erosion and high-tide effects in the urban infrastructure provoked by sea level rises as consequence of climate change. Several tests were carried out with small-scale models in a wave channel, considering different sea levels and significant wave heights generated by storms at recurrence periods of one, ten, and one hundred years. Considering the current profile of Leme Beach, the effects of sea level rise may cause beach erosion, with seawater surpassing the waterfront ridge, invading the residential buildings situated nearby and depositing large amounts of sand on the seaside avenue. To mitigate these effects, the efficiency of submerged concrete breakwaters was investigated through a series of tests in small-scale models. The results suggest that Leme Beach is quite vulnerable to a sea level rise, combined with the occurrence of storms that could generate waves greater than 3 m high.