Artificial reefs stand as an innovative type of coastal protection infrastructure, which have proven effective in mitigating wave-induced coastal erosion. Meanwhile, they help maintain water quality and facilitate hydrodynamic exchange within protected zones. This study conducts a hydrodynamic analysis to assess the protective effectiveness of artificial reefs in the context of the Houlong Bay coastal restoration project in Quanzhou City. Simulation results show that the existing layout plan for artificial reef protection can effectively reduce the flow velocity and wave height at the nearshore beach, and significantly attenuate the effective wave height within the protected area under typhoon conditions. Specifically, the average flow velocity in the protected area decreases by 0.15 m/s, and the maximum effective wave height is reduced by 70%. Additionally, no significant long-term erosion or deposition is observed in the coastal zone.
Fang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.