Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 543-552 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Earth Surface Processes and Landforms |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 23 Dec 2015 |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Mar 2016 |
Abstract
A full-scale controlled experiment was conducted on an excavated and re-assembled coastal wetland surface, typical of floristically diverse northwest European saltmarsh. The experiment was undertaken with true-to-scale water depths and waves in a large wave flume, in order to assess the impact of storm surge conditions on marsh surface soils, initially with three different plant species and then when this marsh canopy had been mowed. The data presented suggests a high bio-geomorphological resilience of salt marshes to vertical sediment removal, with less than 0.6cm average vertical lowering in response to a sequence of simulated storm surge conditions. Both organic matter content and plant species exerted an important influence on both the variability and degree of soil surface stability, with surfaces covered by a flattened canopy of the salt marsh grass Puccinellia experiencing a lower and less variable elevation loss than those characterized by Elymus or Atriplex that exhibited considerable physical damage through stem folding and breakage.
Keywords
- Coastal wetland, Surface elevation change, Wave energy dissipation, Wave flume experiment, Wetland soil stability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Earth-Surface Processes
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
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In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 41, No. 4, 30.03.2016, p. 543-552.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Salt marsh surface survives true-to-scale simulated storm surges
AU - Spencer, T.
AU - Möller, I.
AU - Rupprecht, F.
AU - Bouma, T. J.
AU - van Wesenbeeck, B. K.
AU - Kudella, M.
AU - Paul, M.
AU - Jensen, K.
AU - Wolters, G.
AU - Miranda-Lange, M.
AU - Schimmels, S.
N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank all of the support staff at theGrosser Wellenkanal; Ben Evans, James Tempest, Kostas Milonidis,Chris Rolfe and Colin Edwards, Cambridge University; and DennisSchulze, Hamburg University, for their invaluable logistical assistance.Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge supported the research time of I.M. Thework described in this publication was supported by the EuropeanCommunity’s Seventh Framework Programme (Integrating ActivityHYDRALAB IV, Contract No. 261529) and by a grant from The IsaacNewton Trust, Trinity College, Cambridge. The authors thank MarkSchuerch, Kiel University, for helpful insights into storm surge floodingon Sylt, Germany Wadden Sea. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
PY - 2016/3/30
Y1 - 2016/3/30
N2 - A full-scale controlled experiment was conducted on an excavated and re-assembled coastal wetland surface, typical of floristically diverse northwest European saltmarsh. The experiment was undertaken with true-to-scale water depths and waves in a large wave flume, in order to assess the impact of storm surge conditions on marsh surface soils, initially with three different plant species and then when this marsh canopy had been mowed. The data presented suggests a high bio-geomorphological resilience of salt marshes to vertical sediment removal, with less than 0.6cm average vertical lowering in response to a sequence of simulated storm surge conditions. Both organic matter content and plant species exerted an important influence on both the variability and degree of soil surface stability, with surfaces covered by a flattened canopy of the salt marsh grass Puccinellia experiencing a lower and less variable elevation loss than those characterized by Elymus or Atriplex that exhibited considerable physical damage through stem folding and breakage.
AB - A full-scale controlled experiment was conducted on an excavated and re-assembled coastal wetland surface, typical of floristically diverse northwest European saltmarsh. The experiment was undertaken with true-to-scale water depths and waves in a large wave flume, in order to assess the impact of storm surge conditions on marsh surface soils, initially with three different plant species and then when this marsh canopy had been mowed. The data presented suggests a high bio-geomorphological resilience of salt marshes to vertical sediment removal, with less than 0.6cm average vertical lowering in response to a sequence of simulated storm surge conditions. Both organic matter content and plant species exerted an important influence on both the variability and degree of soil surface stability, with surfaces covered by a flattened canopy of the salt marsh grass Puccinellia experiencing a lower and less variable elevation loss than those characterized by Elymus or Atriplex that exhibited considerable physical damage through stem folding and breakage.
KW - Coastal wetland
KW - Surface elevation change
KW - Wave energy dissipation
KW - Wave flume experiment
KW - Wetland soil stability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84952684964&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/esp.3867
DO - 10.1002/esp.3867
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84952684964
VL - 41
SP - 543
EP - 552
JO - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
JF - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
SN - 0197-9337
IS - 4
ER -