Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 727-731 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Nature geoscience |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Early online date | 29 Sept 2014 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2014 |
Abstract
Coastal communities around the world face an increasing risk from flooding as a result of rising sea level, increasing storminess and land subsidence12. Salt marshes can act as natural buffer zones, providing protection from waves during storms37. However, the effectiveness of marshes in protecting the coastline during extreme events when water levels are at a maximum and waves are highest is poorly understood8,9. Here we experimentally assess wave dissipation under storm surge conditions in a 300-metre-long wave flume tank that contains a transplanted section of natural salt marsh. We find that the presence of marsh vegetation causes considerable wave attenuation, even when water levels and waves are highest. From a comparison with experiments without vegetation, we estimate that up to 60% of observed wave reduction is attributed to vegetation. We also find that although waves progressively flatten and break vegetation stems and thereby reduce dissipation, the marsh substrate remained stable and resistant to surface erosion under all conditions. The effectiveness of storm wave dissipation and the resilience of tidal marshes even at extreme conditions suggest that salt marsh ecosystems can be a valuable component of coastal protection schemes.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Nature geoscience, Vol. 7, No. 10, 01.10.2014, p. 727-731.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Wave attenuation over coastal salt marshes under storm surge conditions
AU - Möller, Iris
AU - Kudella, Matthias
AU - Rupprecht, Franziska
AU - Spencer, Tom
AU - Paul, Maike
AU - Van Wesenbeeck, Bregje K.
AU - Wolters, Guido
AU - Jensen, Kai
AU - Bouma, Tjeerd J.
AU - Miranda-Lange, Martin
AU - Schimmels, Stefan
N1 - Funding Information: We thank all of the staff at the Grosser Wellenkanal as well as Ben Evans, James Tempest, Kostas Milonidis and Colin Edwards, Cambridge University, and Dennis Schulze, Hamburg University, for their invaluable logistical assistance, Fitzwilliam College for supporting the research time of IM, and Chris Rolfe, Cambridge University, for the soil analysis. The work described in this publication was supported by the European Community’s 7th Framework Programme through the grant to the budget of the Integrating Activity HYDRALAB IV, Contract no. 261529 and a grant from The Isaac Newton Trust, Trinity College, Cambridge.
PY - 2014/10/1
Y1 - 2014/10/1
N2 - Coastal communities around the world face an increasing risk from flooding as a result of rising sea level, increasing storminess and land subsidence12. Salt marshes can act as natural buffer zones, providing protection from waves during storms37. However, the effectiveness of marshes in protecting the coastline during extreme events when water levels are at a maximum and waves are highest is poorly understood8,9. Here we experimentally assess wave dissipation under storm surge conditions in a 300-metre-long wave flume tank that contains a transplanted section of natural salt marsh. We find that the presence of marsh vegetation causes considerable wave attenuation, even when water levels and waves are highest. From a comparison with experiments without vegetation, we estimate that up to 60% of observed wave reduction is attributed to vegetation. We also find that although waves progressively flatten and break vegetation stems and thereby reduce dissipation, the marsh substrate remained stable and resistant to surface erosion under all conditions. The effectiveness of storm wave dissipation and the resilience of tidal marshes even at extreme conditions suggest that salt marsh ecosystems can be a valuable component of coastal protection schemes.
AB - Coastal communities around the world face an increasing risk from flooding as a result of rising sea level, increasing storminess and land subsidence12. Salt marshes can act as natural buffer zones, providing protection from waves during storms37. However, the effectiveness of marshes in protecting the coastline during extreme events when water levels are at a maximum and waves are highest is poorly understood8,9. Here we experimentally assess wave dissipation under storm surge conditions in a 300-metre-long wave flume tank that contains a transplanted section of natural salt marsh. We find that the presence of marsh vegetation causes considerable wave attenuation, even when water levels and waves are highest. From a comparison with experiments without vegetation, we estimate that up to 60% of observed wave reduction is attributed to vegetation. We also find that although waves progressively flatten and break vegetation stems and thereby reduce dissipation, the marsh substrate remained stable and resistant to surface erosion under all conditions. The effectiveness of storm wave dissipation and the resilience of tidal marshes even at extreme conditions suggest that salt marsh ecosystems can be a valuable component of coastal protection schemes.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84927930022&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/NGEO2251
DO - 10.1038/NGEO2251
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84927930022
VL - 7
SP - 727
EP - 731
JO - Nature geoscience
JF - Nature geoscience
SN - 1752-0894
IS - 10
ER -