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Project

Mangroves as a coastal defense strategy: using drones and smartphone LiDAR sensors to quantify mangrove-induced friction in flood models.

Mangroves play an important role in coastal protection in tropical deltas by exerting friction on incoming water flow and as such attenuating incoming extreme sea levels (e.g. storm surges, tsunamis). In order for models to realistically predict this attenuation of flood propagation by mangroves, we need to drastically improve the quantification of mangrove-induced friction on the water flow. We will test the possibility to use drones and smartphone-carried LiDAR sensors to construct 3D models of mangrove trees in order to have a more accurate estimation of a mangrove tree's drag on incoming water flow, during a field campaign in Ecuador's largest coastal delta, the Guayas delta. This improved quantification of mangrove-induced friction will drastically increase hydrodynamic models their capacity to simulate extreme water level distribution in delta's.
Date:1 Mar 2022 →  28 Feb 2023
Keywords:FLOOD RISK, HYDRODYNAMICS, REMOTE SENSING, COASTAL WETLANDS
Disciplines:Coastal geography, Physical oceanography, Surface water hydrology, Marine ecology