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Project

Nature-based climate adaptation in the coastal zone: demonstrating the key role of spatial self-organization of coupled plant species zonation and wave attenuation in tidal marshes.

Tidal marshes are increasingly proposed as nature-based shoreline protection against climate change induced sea level rise and increasing storminess. In this project I address the following key knowledge gaps on the effectiveness of this nature-based climate adaptation function: how do two-way interactions between plants and waves lead to spatial self-organization of species zonation and wave attenuation, and how does this self-organization determines the resilience (i.e. persistence) of the wave attenuation function under changing climate conditions. A mesocosm experiment in the new UAntwerpen tidal flume will demonstrate the specific growth response of three dominant tidal marsh species to interactive stresses from waves, tidal inundation and sediment salinity. A novel coupled model of plant species distribution and wave transformation will be calibrated and evaluated against field data to demonstrate that the plant-wave interactions lead to spatial self-organization of both species zonation and wave attenuation rate. The model will be applied to future scenarios of changed climate conditions (i.e. sea level rise, increased wave exposure) to show the impact of the self-organization on the persistence of the wave attenuation function. As such my project will make a major advancement to the field of nature-based climate adaptation in the coastal zone.
Date:1 Oct 2022 →  Today
Keywords:COASTAL WETLANDS
Disciplines:Coastal geography, Physical oceanography, Geomorphology and landscape evolution, Ecosystem services, Coastal and estuarine hydraulics