Water Surface Elevations and Near-bed Velocity Measurements over Surrogates of Mussel Bed and Oyster Reef Surfaces Subjected to Regular Waves
The bioinvasion of the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) in the Wadden Sea has led to a system shift of the biogenic structures. Formerly predominant native blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) beds have almost entirely transformed into oyster reefs formed by the Pacific oyster. This ecological shift has substantial implications for topographic roughness and wave-biogenic structure interactions. This dataset provides experimental data on the interactions of surrogate models of mussel beds and oyster reefs with waves, offering critical insights into the mechanisms of wave attenuation induced by these biogenic structures. The data were collected from controlled laboratory experiments in a 2D wave flume, where surrogate models of both biogenic structures were subjected to regular, non-breaking waves. The surrogate models, fabricated using particle bed 3D printing with Selective Cement Activation, replicate natural roughness at a geometric scale of 1:3. The experimental program included varying water depths (d = 0.40; 0.50; 0.60; 0.70; 0.80 m), mean incoming wave heights (Hm,in= 0.05; 0.10; 0.15; 0.20 m), and mean wave periods (Tm = 1.5; 2.0; 2.5; 3.0 s), reflecting realistic conditions in the Wadden Sea considering Froude similitude with a length scaling of 1:3. The dataset comprises time-histories of the water surface elevations, η, and near-bed instantaneous velocity components, ui,, vi, and wi, in x, y, and z directions, respectively, measured along the surrogate models and simultaneously collected reference measurements over a flat surface. This dataset is intended to support further research into the hyrodynamic-biogenic structure interactions and to inform the design of nature-based solutions for coastal protection.
