2023 ASLA RESEARCH AWARD OF HONOR: The Cobble Bell by Proof Projects LLC

“本项目是一项针对重大生态挑战而进行的奇妙而创新的研究实验。该实验不仅得出了明确的积极结果，并可高度转移到面临类似挑战的其他社区中。作为一项为期两年的试点观察，与沉积物研究，本项目不仅得出了有趣的结论，同时也向人们展示出了一种处理水文景观中的沉积物的新方法。”
– 2023年评审委员会

“Fantastic and innovative experiment and study methods for a significant ecological challenge. The positive results are clear and highly transferable to other communities facing similar challenges. The sedimentation study conducted as a real-world pilot for observation over two years was interesting and could inform how we work with sedimentation in fluid landscapes.”
– 2023 Awards Jury

来自 ASLA 对gooood的分享。
The Cobble Bell: Research through Geology-Inspired Coastal Management by Proof Projects LLC

项目陈述
PROJECT STATEMENT

在纽约的一个小社区Port Bay中，The Cobble Bell项目开启了一项以年度为单位的海水沉积物管理以及数据收集的景观活动，项目成果以近岸地形的演变为特征。与其说这是一个景观项目，不如说这是一次以景观为主导的、对沿海管理方法展开的研究，项目旨在以本次研究更多地了解沿海地貌的变化对于社区的影响，以及在面对气候变化时如何更好地与当地社区展开合作。

Located in the small community of Port Bay, New York, the Cobble Bell project is an annual sediment management/data collection landscape event that takes the form of a small, temporary nearshore topographic feature. As more event than a thing, it serves as an example of a landscape-led coastal management methodology that, at its foundation, is a constructed research project aimed at learning more about the coastal process affecting the community and how to better work with them in the face of a changing climate.

▲2020沉积物管理：在考虑了水位差异后，五个月后，堰洲在之前被破坏区域显示出显着的增长，2020 Sediment Management: After accounting for water level differences, after five months, the bar showed significant growth in the previously breached area of the bar © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

项目说明
PROJECT NARRATIVE

位于纽约的小社区Port Bay以其通往安大略湖的区位而自豪。这条从Port Bay通往安大略湖的通道是自然形成的，它将独立的堰洲与湖泊的湍流隔开。而这种海湾地貌与保护着海湾的堰洲也是纽约这一地区的共同特征，在那里，从冰川分裂下来的冰丘逐渐融化，其携带的沙土等也沉积于海岸，形成了堰洲。而今，虽然在坚固的护岸基础设施以及水中沉积物拦截设施的阻碍下，这种冰川运输现象大大减少，但这一过程确确实实创造出了当地沿岸的海滩景观，反过来，它却使其他依赖沉积物的海岸特征和生态系统处于饥饿状态。可以说，这是一种既特殊又因侵蚀得以保全的景观。

假设这种因侵蚀而发展起来的景观形成过程可以被有效地利用，而不仅仅采用被动的保护策略，那么这一过程将展现出巨大的生态价值。因此，The Cobble Bell项目团队着手于海岸线的形成过程，旨在探索保护和创造生态价值的方法，同时在现有的地方融资结构和限制范围内开展工作。它的作用就如同那些被牺牲掉的冰丘，在侵蚀的同时反哺海岸线。在此过程中，项目组建立了一个关于当地沿海形成过程的信息数据库，以量化这一过程中为海岸线带来的沉积物的总量，并为未来的决策提供信息。

本项目的灵感来自最近一系列战略性的沉积物管理实验，比如：荷兰的“沙子引擎”就利用了海浪和水力来移动沉积物和建造土地。这种类型的项目任需要经过大量的研究，以了解当地景观形成过程的潜在价值，但有关Port Bay湾景观尺度的情况，尚无良好的文献记载或研究。

对项目本身进行的构建、管理和监控都将服务于后续的研究，以通过“设计研究”的过程来检验上述假设，并为当地建立起有价值的数据库。项目背后的方法包括创建一系列简单的数值(CMS Wave / Aquaveo)和物理(波浪输入的地下水位)模型，以测试可能的干预策略以及侵蚀/转化响应。然后，这些数据被用来证明2020年的首次干预是否合理，并监督这一过程。

对堰洲的持续分析表明，在堰洲被侵蚀后不久，堰洲弱化区域内的海拔和海岸线都发生了积极的变化。这些持续的观察也揭示了这种形式的侵蚀速度有多快，这些过程会在短短几天内发生，而不是最初预测的几周。然后，这些信息将被用于确定2022年干预的时间和地点，以便第二次干预也能显示出积极的结果。

经过漫长的时间，研究团队也从观察中不断获得新的和不可预测的发现，新的问题也在不断形成。此外，通过分享本次工作的积极成果，该战略已被视为高度可转移到该地区面临类似挑战的其他社区中。如果本项目的研究范围能够得到扩展，那么支撑The Cobble Bell研究议程的数据库将会得到进一步的补充，并衍生出更多研究议题，进而为促进整个地区的创新和沿海可持续性做出更大的贡献。

▲被动式地区地质沉积过程：安大略湖沿岸，由鼓丘带来了沉积物哺育交替着堰洲和湿地，Geology-forced regional sediment processes: Along the shores of Lake Ontario, sediment from eroding drumlin bluffs feeds alternating barrier bars and wetlands © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲变化的海岸线：码头、堆砌成高地的疏浚物和硬化的海岸线，使得现在已被侵蚀的港湾东部堰洲越发缺乏沉积物，Shifting Shorelines: Jetties, upland placement of dredged material, and hardened shorelines decreased sediment supply to the now eroded eastern bar of Port Bay © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲物理模型录入和参数：借助CMS建模和对过去的波浪分析，项目团队建立起一个物理模型，以研究海浪是如何帮助沿着堰洲分散泥沙，Physical Model Inputs and Parameters: With aid by CMS modeling and past wave analysis, a physical model was built to study how waves could help disperse dredge sediment along the bar © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲物理模型迭代：物理模型试验用于评估不同波浪环境下不同侵蚀形式的表现，Physical Model Iterations: Physical model tests were used to assess performance of different erodible forms under various wave environments © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲沉积物管理设计：使用挖掘机和推土机进行港口疏浚，并建造Cobble Bell鹅卵石“码头”，这一过程中所使用的设备和成本与以前的高地铺设相同，Sediment Management Choreography: An excavator and bulldozer were used to dredge and build the Cobble Bell, with the same equipment and cost as previous upland placement © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲Cobble Bell鹅卵石“码头”：当地承包商的知识和专业知识为制定确切坡度、长度和高度作出了贡献，Cobble Bell Construction: Local contractor knowledge and expertise informed the exact slope, length, and height of the designed feature © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲海岸监测：通过沉积物观测、RTK +无人机调查和摄影测量软件来监测堰洲的物理质量，以评估变化，Coastal Monitoring: The physical qualities of the bar were monitored through sediment observations, RTK + drone surveys, and photogrammetry software to assess change © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲2022年沉积物管理：2022年，尽管可用于建造Cobble Bell鹅卵石“码头”的沉积物减少了，但较薄的区域填充工程仍在缓慢进行，2022 Sediment Management: In 2022, even with less sediment available to build the Cobble Bell, the bar continues to fill in the thinner regions, albeit more slowly © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲时间剖面：2020年与2022年，Cobble Bell鹅卵石“码头”均在5-10天内被侵蚀，之后的调查显示，这些鹅卵石会堆积在堰洲的历史薄弱区域，Temporal Sections: In both years, the feature eroded within 5-10 days of placement, afterwhich surveys showed accumulation in the historically breached area of the bar © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲波浪研究：在春季的几个月里，来自西北向西的波浪，加速了鹅卵石“码头”的侵蚀，Wave Studies: During the spring months, when the feature is constructed, waves from northwest-west, contribute to the rapid erosion of the Cobble Bell feature © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲Cobble Bell计划细节：对比2020年与2022年，鹅卵石“码头”在最初的五天内迅速被侵蚀，并在接下来的六个月里继续被侵蚀，Cobble Bell Plan Detail: Comparing the two years, the cobble bell eroded quickly after the first five days, and continued to erode over the following six months © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲屏障破裂的细节：在干预的两年中，在鹅卵石“码头”的侵蚀之后，大量的沉积物会积聚在先前被破坏的区域，Barrier Breach Detail: In both years, significant amounts of sediment accreted in the previously breached areas of the bar after the erosion of the Cobble Bell © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲植被研究：在过去的三年里，东部植被明显增加，尤其是在之前受到侵蚀的区域中，这一现象明显增加了海岸整体的恢复力，改善了生态栖息地，Vegetation Studies: Over three years, vegetation increased along the eastern, previously denuded area of the bar, adding to overall resilience and habitat © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲沉积物样带：相比于人工改造海滩来说，沉积物的自然分选产生的多样性更符合历史景观的生态特征，Sediment Transects: Natural sorting of the accreted sediment produced variety more ecologically consistent with the historical landscape than direct beach nourishment © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

▲纽约鼓丘海湾地区：该项目可以为面临类似沿海挑战的所有纽约鼓丘海湾地区，提供沿海恢复工作的支持与联系，Drumlin-Bay Region of New York: This project can help inform and connect the coastal resiliency efforts throughout the drumlin-bay region facing similar coastal challenges © Healthy Port Futures/Proof Projects LLC

PROJECT NARRATIVE

Port Bay, New York, is a small community proud of its access to Lake Ontario. This access is made possible by Port Bay itself, separated from the turbulence of the lake by a lone sandbar. This system of coastal bays and the sandbars that protect them is a common feature of this region of New York, where glacially-deposited drumlins erode and contribute sediment to a longshore system that built the bars. Today, however, this transport is compromised by erosion control measures in the form of hard infrastructure that armors the shore or sticks into the water to stop sediment movement. While this process does build coastal beaches locally, it starves sediment-dependent coastal features and ecosystems elsewhere. This is a landscape that is both special and kept safe by erosion.

Operating under the general hypothesis that landscape processes like erosion can be used productively as opposed to protected against, the Cobble Bell works with coastal processes to generate protective and ecological value while also working within existing local financing structures and limits. It does so by acting like a sacrificial drumlin designed to erode and contribute sediment to the longshore system. Along the way, it builds a dataset of information about local coastal processes that makes a case for their productivity and informs future decision-making.

The Cobble Bell draws inspiration from a lineage of recent strategic sediment management experiments such as the “Sand Engine” in the Netherlands, where waves and water are harnessed to move sediment and build land. Projects of this type necessitate research to understand the potential values of local landscape processes, but the landscape-scale conditions of Port Bay were not well documented or studied.

The Cobble Bell project allows the construction, management, and monitoring of the project itself to serve the function of research by testing a hypothesis and building valuable local knowledge through a process of “research by design.” The methodology behind the project involved creating several simple numerical (CMS Wave / Aquaveo) and physical (water table with wave inputs) models to test possible configurations and erosion/transformation responses. These were then used to justify the first placement in 2020 and to monitor the process.

Ongoing analysis of the barrier bar over time showed positive elevation change and shoreline growth within the weakened areas of the bar, soon after the erosion of the form. These repeated observations also revealed how quickly the form eroded, within a matter of days, not weeks, as was initially predicted. This information was then used to time and place the operation in 2022, again showing positive results. As a type of constructed experiment, the Cobble Bell generates valuable knowledge about site-specific material actors and their relationships by actively intervening in the landscape and observing the effects.

Through time, new and unpredictable things are discovered, and new questions are formed. Also, by sharing the positive findings from the work, the strategy has been seen as highly transferable to other communities in the region facing similar challenges. And if expanded elsewhere, the research agenda underpinning the Cobble Bell has the potential to generate a larger dataset and research questions that will continue to promote innovation and coastal sustainability throughout the region.

More: ASLA; Proof Projects LLC