Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta
<p>Intertidal wetlands, such as mangroves in the tropics, are increasingly recognized for their role in nature-based mitigation of coastal flood risks. Yet it is still poorly understood how effective they are at attenuating the propagation of extreme sea levels through large (order of 100 km&l...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/3169/2023/nhess-23-3169-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797671626282631168 |
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| author | I. Pelckmans J.-P. Belliard J.-P. Belliard L. E. Dominguez-Granda C. Slobbe S. Temmerman O. Gourgue O. Gourgue O. Gourgue |
| author_facet | I. Pelckmans J.-P. Belliard J.-P. Belliard L. E. Dominguez-Granda C. Slobbe S. Temmerman O. Gourgue O. Gourgue O. Gourgue |
| author_sort | I. Pelckmans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Intertidal wetlands, such as mangroves in the tropics,
are increasingly recognized for their role in nature-based mitigation of
coastal flood risks. Yet it is still poorly understood how effective they
are at attenuating the propagation of extreme sea levels through large
(order of 100 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span>) estuarine or deltaic systems, with complex geometry
formed by networks of branching channels intertwined with mangrove and
intertidal flat areas. Here, we present a delta-scale hydrodynamic modelling
study, aiming to explicitly account for these complex landforms, for the
case of the Guayas delta (Ecuador), the largest estuarine system on the
Pacific coast of Latin America. Despite coping with data scarcity, our model
accurately reproduces the observed propagation of high water levels during a
spring tide. Further, based on a model sensitivity analysis, we show that
high water levels are most sensitive to the mangrove platform elevation and
degree of channelization but to a much lesser extent to vegetation-induced
friction. Mangroves with a lower surface elevation, lower vegetation density,
and higher degree of channelization all favour a more efficient flooding of
the mangroves and therefore more effectively attenuate the high water levels
in the deltaic channels. Our findings indicate that vast areas of
channelized mangrove forests, rather than densely vegetated forests, are
most effective for nature-based flood risk mitigation in a river delta.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:18:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d3539c7ae4684dc296d95d94202dd09b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1561-8633 1684-9981 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:18:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3539c7ae4684dc296d95d94202dd09b2023-09-28T12:36:49ZengCopernicus PublicationsNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences1561-86331684-99812023-09-01233169318310.5194/nhess-23-3169-2023Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river deltaI. Pelckmans0J.-P. Belliard1J.-P. Belliard2L. E. Dominguez-Granda3C. Slobbe4S. Temmerman5O. Gourgue6O. Gourgue7O. Gourgue8ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matematicas, Centro del Agua y Desarrollo Sostenible, Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Guayaquil, EcuadorGeoscience & Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Delft, the NetherlandsECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumDepartment of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA<p>Intertidal wetlands, such as mangroves in the tropics, are increasingly recognized for their role in nature-based mitigation of coastal flood risks. Yet it is still poorly understood how effective they are at attenuating the propagation of extreme sea levels through large (order of 100 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span>) estuarine or deltaic systems, with complex geometry formed by networks of branching channels intertwined with mangrove and intertidal flat areas. Here, we present a delta-scale hydrodynamic modelling study, aiming to explicitly account for these complex landforms, for the case of the Guayas delta (Ecuador), the largest estuarine system on the Pacific coast of Latin America. Despite coping with data scarcity, our model accurately reproduces the observed propagation of high water levels during a spring tide. Further, based on a model sensitivity analysis, we show that high water levels are most sensitive to the mangrove platform elevation and degree of channelization but to a much lesser extent to vegetation-induced friction. Mangroves with a lower surface elevation, lower vegetation density, and higher degree of channelization all favour a more efficient flooding of the mangroves and therefore more effectively attenuate the high water levels in the deltaic channels. Our findings indicate that vast areas of channelized mangrove forests, rather than densely vegetated forests, are most effective for nature-based flood risk mitigation in a river delta.</p>https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/3169/2023/nhess-23-3169-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | I. Pelckmans J.-P. Belliard J.-P. Belliard L. E. Dominguez-Granda C. Slobbe S. Temmerman O. Gourgue O. Gourgue O. Gourgue Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta |
| title_full | Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta |
| title_fullStr | Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta |
| title_short | Mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta |
| title_sort | mangrove ecosystem properties regulate high water levels in a river delta |
| url | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/3169/2023/nhess-23-3169-2023.pdf |
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