After last month’s nor’easter in Scituate, I measured a 60 cm dune scarp and clear downdrift sand starvation beside a new seawall — classic toe scour and reflected-wave setup… Are any of you seeing better outcomes with living shorelines or sand back-passing in similar high-energy reaches, and how are you handling setbacks in your coastal zone plans?
What decided it for me was a quick trial: I ran a bench P–C–T on LaNi5 at about 10–20 bar H2 one weekend, then sat in on Si3N4 where ‘under standard conditions’ slowed conversion, and I noticed which headaches felt like puzzles; LaNi5 is forgiving, so adjust expectations for tougher hydrides. If you can, sketch both flows in RMG first (https://rmg.mit.edu) to surface the rate-limiting steps you’ll live with — would that be practical in your setup?
Quick win we’ve seen: small, frequent back-passing (5–10k m³) triggered by a “>50 cm scarp,” paired with coir-wrapped dune planting, and setbacks tied to a 30‑yr erosion rate with storm allowance; it softened toe scour next to a new wall in Marshfield. It only works if there’s an updrift sand source and access — otherwise we went hybrid with low-crested sills. If you’re in MA, MassCZM’s StormSmart has useful templates: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/stormsmart-coasts.