tetrapods coastal protection advantages and disadvantages

Also invisible in this most visible of objects bulwarking Okinawas coastline are the multidimensional circumstances and intersecting forces of their existence and their evolution into other cultural forms. Within the year, a plush tetrapod was manufactured and marketed as a gray felt-covered cushion called Tetogurumi. Like its seagrass-green and ocean-blue company logo, Fudo Tetras public face exudes environmental friendliness as it presents itself as a steward of Japans beautiful natural patrimony. The document " Coastal Dune Protection and Restoration" from Woods Hole Sea Grant and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension provides excellent details and illustrations of the process. [18] An outline map shows the breakwaters in relation to the port and area shoreline, accompanied by a cross-section drawing of construction type. 1995. by [10] It is unclear whether the higher costs for Okinawa and Hokkaido are due to their peripheral locations or reflect a markup that exploits the government development funds that both areas receive. Public outcry over the concrete encasing Japans coasts is something I expected to find when doing this research; a vibrant community of tetrapod lovers was not. 1962. With his invention of the tetrapod in 1949, Pierre Danel created something that has since proven itself attractive in expected and unexpected ways. His photos were accompanied with text describing quasi-erotic attraction for the objects, proclaiming that after that [writing an article on appreciating out-of-water tetrapods] my passion for tetrapods hasnt cooled. I discuss this long-standing trade associations work later. Reducing wave energy impacts at or seaward of the shoreline. The Japanese know all this too well. They could not afford the air conditioning needed for concrete homes in Okinawas heat and humidity, stone structures were associated with traditional Okinawan graves and prewar fuuru (pigsty latrines), and timber was, on balance, less expensive. So why then was there not wider use of tetrapods in places like Ise Bay prior to Typhoon No. Today, Maniapparel manufactures Tetogurumi, which comes in three sizes12, 25, and 38 centimeters (just under 5, 10, and 15 inches)and two shades of gray, and is distributed through online sites, such as Tetogurumi Official Web Store, and brick-and-mortar retail outlets (figure 33). Direct consequences of coastal erosion consist of the hardening of many coastal areas, increasing use of coastal defense systems, producing negative impacts on natural beach landscape, and. Key cost components There are, in fact, indications of a trend in Japanese coastal engineering to think more about shoreline aesthetics by submerging breakwaters further offshore and camouflaging seawalls with native vegetation (Baird 2016).[13]. The seawall, as you might imagine, is a tall, sloped structure intended to keep the sea and the land somewhat apart. I always liked shapes, but that feeling was different from any other time. Another man also professed his attraction to the shape of tetrapods, buying a railway model kit only for the tiny plastic tetrapods that were included in it: I was just fascinated by their shapes. The bulk of the article is an interview with freelance photographer, writer, and industrial-form aficionado yama Ken, coauthor of Kj Moe (Factory affection), a photo book catering to factory and industrial-site otaku. On that timeline is the organizations 2007 leaflet Shizen to tomoni (With nature), whose artwork and catchphrases currently adorn its homepage. I dont share this groups self-interested, uncritical positionor more precisely, its sidestepping of legitimate critique through aggressive promotion of benefits without addressing environmental costsbut I view its research projects and public relations campaigns as a fascinating intersection of culture, media, politics, economics, science, and technology worthy of closer study. [6] Fudo Tetra Corporate History http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/english/about/enkaku.html (Japanese version: http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/about/enkaku.html). Here I want merely to highlight briefly the NSNBKs efforts (also reflected in Fudo Tetras own advertising) to define coastal armoring as critical for human life in Japan and as protectiveeven nurturingof marine life and coastal ecosystems. The group subsequently diversified fairly quickly and occupied a diversity of habitats (saltwater, freshwater, and terrestrial) by the Early Carboniferous. Seawalls are commonly built and run along shoreline to prevent coastal structures and areas from the detrimental influence of ocean wave actions and flooding which are driven by storms. In this video we will discuss about tetrapods. It is estimated that since the advent of Japans high-growth period from the early 1960s, coastline altered by concrete has, by some measures, reached nearly 50 percent of Japans coast, with about 30 percent in the form of tetrapods and other types of wave-breakers. Following the natural outcropping to the waters edge led me to a short stretch of tetrapods shared by fishermen on the far end and, closer by, a striking crab (figure 22). He understands the widespread attraction to tetrapods from the viewpoint of a serious observer of industrial forms: When you look at them carefully, there are very few things with such unusual shapes. Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Modern Japan. Seen from the perspective of tetrapods, Okinawa is the most evolved prefecture in Japan. [24] He gushes about the functionality, soundscape, and construction of tetrapod walls, noting they are randomly assembled together with the same shapes. All Betonblock moulds are made of high-quality steel and feature a rust, impact and scratch-resistant powder . A Tetrapod (which, Japanese engineers are quick to remind you, is a proper name, even if it has become a generic catchall) is a four-footed, porous, concrete breakwater barrier used to prevent erosion and water damage by dissipating waves. The vian Accords that ended the Algerian War in 1962 included provisions for the French to retain control of Mers-el-Kbir until 1977, but they withdrew earlier, in 1967. ABSTRACT As the Armor shape has a significant effect on the reduction of wave overtopping, this study compares the performance of various shapes of concrete armored blocks of X block and Tetrapod. A chronological examination of the proceedings of the Conference of Coastal Engineering, the flagship international gathering of field specialists, offers hints about the tetrapods foothold in Japan. [27] The brands catchphrase is Save the Ocean, Love the Ocean, and its identity is formed around fishing, street fashion, ocean conservation, and coastal beautification. The dispersal of backflow water pressure was precisely one of the aims of Danels tetrapod design; his experiments indicated that a semi-open structure of heavy, interlocked, rough rounded forms was superior to surfaces of flat concrete slabs and square concrete blocks in dispersing wave energy while standing up to water pressure. eisenhower epic login; . With a euphemistic resonance, it suggests the mutual benefits of development for human society and natural environment. It may look sharp, but you can actually hug it. Appearances, be damned: this country believes Tetrapods work in the fight against erosion. These safety concernsfalls against the concrete, cuts from barnacles, slipping and getting trapped under water and drowningare also cited by those who oppose tetrapods for environmental and aesthetic reasons. James N. Sanchirico, There is great interest in the restoration and conservation of coastal habitats for protection from flooding and erosion. Function of Tetrapod Manufacturing Process Advantages & Disadvantages If you are Civil Engi. [20] See details at http://www.shouha.jp/case1/100/102/243.php. Sea walls usually have promenades so people can walk along them. The weight and interlocking design of tetrapods work effectively against extreme weather conditions, dissipating the force of the water well. Life with Tetrapods: The Nature of Concrete in Okinawa. Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review(e-journal) 30: 150170. In Okinawa, this scenario, parallel to its tetrapod use, is intensified: located in the heart of the Western Pacifics Typhoon Alley, Okinawa receives on average three times the number of typhoons per year compared to mainland Japan, and most of its population of approximately 1.4 million resides within two miles of the coast. The tetrapod's shape is designed to dissipate the force of incoming waves by allowing water to flow around rather than against it, and to reduce displacement by allowing a random distribution of tetrapods to mutually interlock. More than 1,000 of these Tetrapods cushions have been sold at shops across Japan since the companys quest began, and happy plushy owners include former Tetrapod engineers and coastal workers looking for a kawaii (read: twee) way to honor their profession. A coral-bleaching event occurs when unusually warm waters drive out the algae that symbiotically inhabits the coral, turning it white. Demand for concrete even for residential construction doubled between 1965 and 1971, the year before Okinawa reverted to Japanese rule (Chinen and Shiba 2015, 148150). the average value of a sine wave is zero; I wanted a Tetrapod in my bedroom, but the real one is too big, and if I hit it in the night, it would hurt, he laughed, noting that he has a personal taste that favors non-organic materials and sterilized design. [13]Taiwan-based designer Sheng-Hung Lee has recently won several awards with his TetraPOT (http://shenghunglee.wixsite.com/design/tetrapot). The NSNBKs promotion of improvement of the environment through wave-dissipating blocks is advanced largely by hosting research conferences and lectures, publishing research results and industry news, andmost important for our consideration herepublic outreach that involves all of the above. And with the earthquake that occurred this week in Fukushimaan aftershock of 2011, experts believethis effort seems more pressing than ever. tetrapods coastal protection advantages and disadvantages. disadvantages and advantages of this decision, as listed onthe first page of this form. Scores of groups, online chat forums, how-to YouTube videos, and obsessively detailed printed and online guides attest to the popularity of ana-zuri. There are other concerns about breakwater barriers, too, like whether or not they have the potential to slowly increase sediment deposits by washing down the coast bit-by-bit, in turn actually increasing erosion. 2010. It is simultaneously majestic and odd. As in the case of Kansai International Airport (for which Fudo Tetra provided the seawall armoring), the runway is being built on an artificial island created by landfill secured with a perimeter of seawalls reinforced by tetrapods. tetrapods coastal protection advantages and disadvantages immune modulators herbs / icd 10 code for squamous cell carcinoma of scalp The wall receives direct impact and this weakens the structure over time. Tsunamis pose a substantial threat to coastal communities around the globe. Under contemporary conditions of advanced consumer capitalism in a country chock full of technological knowhow, design sense, artistic creativity, ardent hobbyists, tinkerers, and aficionados of all things cute, the transformation of this coastal armor unit into art piece, plush toy, brand logo, and object of desire should not be, upon reflection, too surprising. This lease system cuts overall shipping costs and offers flexibility for production but also requires special equipment onsite and coordination with local transport and material suppliers. The impression is that although tetrapods were known at the time, they were not in widespread standard use yet. The Google Maps satellite photo of the overtly engineered public Zanpa Beach and adjacent private Uza Beach (restricted to guests of the Okinawa Zanpa Misaki Royal Hotel and Uza Terrace Beach Club) clearly reveals the pattern of the longshore drift generated by waves off the East China Sea and the corresponding buildup of sand against the groin on Zanpa Beach. Hom-ma, Masashi, and Kiyoshi Horikawa. (While the Institute says that somewhere between 8-10 percent of Japanese coastlines are covered by concrete armoring, other outlets have estimated it may be upwards of 50 percent.). Dozens of photos from longitudinal studies of the ecological effects of block installations serve to demonstrate empirically that sea life thrives with them as they foster an ecosystem with an outstanding natural symbiosis function and preserve the marine environment, thus contributing to a safe and secure society (Nihon Shha Nagatame Burokku Kykai 2007, 2). In March 1951, Danel filed for a U.S. patent, which was granted in October 1956 for Artificial Blocks for Structures Exposed to the Action of Moving Water (figure 1[5]). [8] Fudo Tetra itself offers twelve different types of wave-dissipating blocks, including the Tetrapod, the granddaddy of them all. Amniotes appeared no later than about 317 . ), which is full of anthropomorphized cartoon tetrapods (figure 30). Also is lethally dangerous to swimmers and surfers as well as shipping and recreational boaters 14 Q What is the meaning of hold the line? Compared to hard engineering, soft engineering approaches are less expensive, are more long-term, attractive and sustainable as they work with natural processes. For now, I propose we make room to think outside the traditional dichotomies of natural/artificial and native/nonnative. Reconstruction and economic recovery were also uneven throughout the country; provincial coastal towns did not necessarily share in the development witnessed in Tokyo and other large cities. That all changed during a photo walk one night in June 2018, thanks to three stray cats skipping along the tetrapods that buttress a promenade along the harbor in Naha (see aerial Google Maps image [figure 10]), where I took figure 9, 17, and 18. A disadvantage is that when they are used, it is hard to find a beach to go to where you can see the coast. Ganbokens profile indicates an early fascination with tetrapods that blossomed with the introduction of the Internet and led to his August 2006 creation of the Shha Burokku Mania Site, which became the CDOI in 2009. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License, https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-30/figa, https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/11/covering-coasts-with-concrete-japan-looks-to-tetrapods-to-battle-elements, https://apjjf.org/-Stephen-Hesse/2481/article.html, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329164306_Eroding_diversity_away_The_Ogimi_seawall, http://www.shouha.jp/50th/data/leaflet.pdf, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2007/07/22/general/beauty-beheld-in-huge-concrete-forms/, https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-30/figal, http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/english/about/enkaku.html, http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/about/enkaku.html, https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/web/TR/JPT_1184901/3D7C5C9BF22BF53CC2DC539667C19B34, http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/products/tetrapod.html, http://www.dc.ogb.go.jp/Kyoku/information/nahakuukou/genbanikki.html, http://shenghunglee.wixsite.com/design/tetrapot. The seas around Japan are deep, while those around the Gulf Coast arent as much, Kato says, also noting that Japan loses 1.6 square kilometers of beach a year to erosion. Naha: Okinawa-ken. A central T-shaped groin-jetty combination that does double duty to capture sand and break waves distinguishes many Okinawan swimming beaches, such as Nishihara Kirakira Beach (figure 6). Otaku hobbyist culture is the most obvious context in which to find the most serious subset of tetrapod enthusiasts. Prices for Okinawa and Hokkaido Prefectures run about 9 percent higher than the rest of Japan, with a standard 4-ton mold costing 10,530 with tax (about US$100) for a two-month lease, not including maritime shipping costs to remote islands or ground transportation within remote islands. As the accompanying commentary explains, they show not only the coral growth observed accumulating on the wave blocks from the late 1980s but also the blocks before and after a major bleaching event in 1998 that weakened and killed coral throughout the area. I have been one of those well-prepared visitors to Okinawa who, for research and leisure, have consumed a great deal of promotional material designed to cast Okinawa in the most attractive light (see Figal 2010). A It is no wonder that dams, highways, and coastal armoring appear more cutting-edge than most residential and commercial buildings in this local manifestation of what critics refer to as Japans Construction State.[9] Ironically, whereas Okinawa was behind the mainland in tetrapods per capita because of U.S. bases before reversion, it is now ahead of the mainland in tetrapods per capita, in part because of the compensation politics of U.S. bases after reversion. 2017. This makes the areas extremely vulnerable. Common, too, is critique of well-known influence-peddling and corruption within Japans construction industry, which keeps the concrete flowing; Id like to move beyond those controversies. The first Japanese presenters appeared at the Seventh Conference held in The Hague, Netherlands, in August 1960. But how has human and animal life there evolved around this evolution in coastal protection? [12] Most of the premier resorts featuring more natural white sand beaches in Okinawa are on the smaller, less populated outlying islands around Okinawa Island or farther south in the Miyako-Yaeyama island chain. The presenters shared a scenario in which Japanese national survival is naturally dependent on securing and protecting coasts for human livelihood. But the wall itself holds less interest to me than its supporting cast members a few hundred yards out into the water. They are used to protect marinas, sea wall defences and waterfronts all over the globe. [15] Drop a line in a deep gap between tetrapods and hits can be frequent, especially in Okinawan waters where a relative abundance of fish thrive (figure 27). Figal, Gerald. Nihon Shha Nagatame Burokku Kykai. Setting hundreds of tetrapods on a big scale that matches that of nature is simply art (quoted in Hesse 2007, 34). It has supported conservation and beautification efforts by donating portions of sales of silicone bracelets to coral transplantation projects and through activities such as organizing coastal cleanups. By contrast, tetrapods have taken an alternative route: they have lost the buoyancy control function of their air bladders, and instead this organ been elaborated to form the lungs that we all use to get around on land. I took out a panoramic pinhole film camera and my iPhone. For example, several species of crabsincluding eviscerated ones that had seemingly fallen prey to predatorsare easily spied above and below the waterline, joined by a variety of barnacles, limpets, snails, slugs, worms, algae, seaweeds, birds, fish, and humans. Teaching children that Mr. Tetrapod is a natural denizen of the sea as well as their friend and protector like a policeman or firefighter aims to produce adults who are less prone to question tetrapods in the future. [9] See, for example, McCormack (1995). After the earthquake and tsunami hit [in 2011], weve been rebuilding everything, but a lot hasnt come back yet, Yoshinori Okuyama, Director General of the Sendai Bay South Coast Office, noted. Disadvantages of tetrapods The contrast with the thinner, but more discreetly engineered and more natural-looking Uza Beach to the south is also evident (figure 5). The tetrapod crown (the smallest clade that includes lissamphibians and amniotes) first appears in the fossil record in the Early Carboniferous. The key phrase here is kanky no seibi (improvement of the environment). Absorbs and deflects wave energy back to sea. The project grew out of a commission from the French Navy to secure the stability of seawalls at its naval base in Mers-el-Kbir, Algeria. The advantages of Betonblock tetrapod moulds. In their examples of then-recent coastal protection measures, Homma and Horikawa mentioned a last-ditch effort to reinforce and raise the height of a slumping breakwater in Niigata with the use of 4-ton tetrapod blocks. It has not publicly stated a position on the tetrapods on Okinawan coasts. In this framing, from the viewpoint of a tetrapods function, there is no difference between the natural and the human. Kato visited New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to help assess damage. 1961. Making tetrapods couldn't be easier with a Betonblock mould. Nine years after introducing the tetrapod at the Fourth Conference on Coastal Engineering, Danel followed up at the Eighth Conference in 1962 with a report assessing how well the fifty-five tetrapod installations around the world had performed over several years of service. Posted on October 29, 2022 . Reversion opened the floodgates to mainland businesses and brought massive construction to Okinawa, buoyed by special development funds and finance loans from Tokyo. Their attitude is one that feels more practical, and bleak, than anything ever expressed in the US when it comes to natural disaster prevention. If concrete had a life, I think a tetrapod is the orthodox way that concrete should evolve (quoted in Hesse 2007, 9). [2] For starters, I almost always use analog film cameras of many varieties and formats. Simply pour new or leftover concrete into the mould, wait for the concrete to cure and demould your brand-new tetrapod! There do appear to be genuine efforts in the industry to work toward greener coastal engineering solutions, but public relations campaigns are already very green now. Plus, no manmade structure is completely immune from destruction in the wake of a tsunami. The occupation did, however, introduce to postwar Okinawa the widespread use of concrete and cement blocks for military base construction, public facilities, and commercial buildings in the early 1950s. The Allied occupation of Japan had just ended in 1952, and it was not until 1955 that the Japanese governments Economic White Paper announced that Japans per-capita gross national product had surpassed its prewar levels. [18] The dolos, which is shaped like an H twisted 90 degrees at the center of the crossbar, has South African origins. It stops the waves from beating down on the shore, whether during a gales of a tsunami or the daily lap of erosion. A few were taken on an iPhone 6s+ because circumstances dictated it. Explore the CDOI at http://ganboken.blog26.fc2.com/blog-category-2.html. These tiny star-shaped grains represent a bit of bottled paradise. Viewed as more environmentally friendly, as this approach tries to work with natural processes to reduce, rather than prevent erosion. Promoted as sustainable greener sea defense, TetraPOT is an ingenuously semi-hollowed-out tetrapod designed to allow mangrove trees and other plants to grow from it such that their natural root systems intertwine to help anchor the tetrapods for more natural, and more natural-looking, shoreline protection. The word seibi appears regularly in construction and development documents. Its inventor, Eric Mowbray Merrifield, did not patent the design. tetrapods coastal protection advantages and disadvantages. Put another way, the development of coastlines is largely predetermined by natural circumstances, even though that development is challenging to sustain because of natural circumstances. 1. Naturally, the document was published by the US Government in the mid-2000s. A stones throw off the coastline, dozens of gigantic, 10-ton concrete structures known as Tetrapods form a long row and lookif were being honestas if a giant dumped a behemoth box of jacks into the sea. His publications include Civilization and Monsters: Spirits of Modernity in Meiji Japan (2000) and Beachheads: War, Peace, and Tourism in Postwar Okinawa (2012). In coastal engineering, a tetrapod is a four-legged concrete structure used as armour unit on breakwaters. Founded in 1967, six years after the incorporation of Japan Tetrapod, the NSNBK states its goals as follows: The Associations activities aim to conduct research surveys of construction technology related to civil engineering that uses wave-dissipating blocks, to work diligently on construction methods and technology, and to contribute to the preservation of national land and the improvement of the environment, thereby improving the everyday life of the national citizenry.[16]. Much of that attraction comes from its shape, size, and setting. along with their cute fake seagull companions. This includes birds, animals, and humans. Instead, were building a good number of [underwater] artificial reefs that break the waves in order to preserve the view while still preventing things like erosion, Kato explains. I even think that its in human beings nature to be attracted to such things (quoted in Wijers-Hasegawa 2007). The Tetrapod. Coastal Engineering Proceedings 1 (8): 469481. He did not blame yama for passing the publicly posted pattern to others (yama posted an apology for presenting the pattern as his own creation), but he did hold the makers of Tetogurumi responsible for seeking proper licensing from its true inventor. It is an industrial product, but it is still cute. How are sea walls used to protect the coast? But theirs is a passive adaptation to this built environment. A tetrapod-covered coast is cooler than a white-sand beach. They werent going anywhere; the wall of tetrapods was their home. Its so lovely! He even philosophizes about the existential tension felt walking over them, knowing that something dropped between them is irretrievably lost. In places like Sendai, coastal engineers are creating more holistic systems to help fend off environmental threats, incorporating various layers of breakwater barriersTetrapod clusters a few miles out to sea, sturdier sea walls lined with native trees and vegetationin order to provide multiple stop gaps against the tempests of wind and water. It also includes the animal without four feet like a snake as they descend from a common tetrapod ancestor. Science Biology Biology: The Dynamic Science (MindTap Course List) The advantages and disadvantages of moving onto the land by early tetrapods. Fishing guides do point out the dangers of fishing from tetrapods. Ah, tetrapods! Tetrapods fall into a more specific category of object that captures me and vice versa: odd artifacts. https://apjjf.org/-Stephen-Hesse/2481/article.html. I am not the first to consider tetrapods as infrastructure for new, unintended ecologies. Today, the structures have an almost omnipresence anywhere land meets the sea. Moreover, 1950s Japan was still a time of getting by and making do, not one of adopting cutting-edge industrial innovations for coastal protection. Thats what can mean the difference between life and death.. Producing collated cost information is therefore challenging. And bringing tetrapods down to a childs size as a handmade art object may cultivate affection for them. In his spare time, he enjoys film and wet plate collodion photography using a wide range of vintage analog cameras. [22] Perhaps the most farsighted area of industry public relations, however, is educational outreach to children, like the NSNBKs leaflet for elementary schoolchildren, Namikeshi burokku tte nani? Unfortunately, the tetrapods did nothing to mitigate the slumping. This, of course, hasnt stopped some people from lamenting about the jarring nature of the visually bleak coastal additions. They are particularly prevalent for industrial and technological objects, but not limited to obvious and globally popular hobbyist items like trains, planes, and automobiles. And boy, arent they popular. Coastal environments are often very dynamic and are highly variable in terms of the severity of exposure to natural conditions. Influence-peddling and corruption in Japans construction industry is, as Kerr details, well known. [12] The majority of sandy public-access beaches on Okinawa Island, on the other hand, have been engineered, shaped by the effects of groins, seawalls, and jetties constructed from the shoreline. Hesse, Stephen. One can only imagine, though, the hackles that would rise if a large percentage of our coasts were suddenly aesthetically shackled with concrete blockades. After that night, I began to wonder about the capacity of tetrapods to create new, unplanned habitats, and started to seek out creatures who have adapted to living with them. [1] The images presented here are intended not as endpoint evidence, but rather as visual cues to thinking about life with tetrapods beyond the surface and outside the obvious. [17] In a handful of colorful pages, the leaflet captures this recent emphasis on coastal armor units working to protect and enhance the natural as much as the human world. What are the environmental benefits of coastal protection? Gerald Figal is Professor of History and Asian Studies at Vanderbilt University where he teaches and conducts research on modern Japanese cultural history. Nature is allowed to take its course. Most of the images in this photo essay are scans of film negatives or prints taken during trip to Okinawa in 2017 and 2018. New York: Hill and Wang.

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