Potential of Transplanted Seagrass Meadows on Wave Attenuation in a Fetch-Limited Environment

Autor: Joan Pau Sierra, Vicente Gracia, Xavier Castell, Manuel García-León, César Mösso, Jue Lin-Ye
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, Vol 11, Iss 6, p 1186 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2077-1312
DOI: 10.3390/jmse11061186
Popis: In this paper, the effectiveness of transplanted (either created or restored) seagrass meadows as a coastal protection measure is assessed through a five-step methodology. The analysis is focused on a stretch of the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean) which is a fetch-limited environment. The results show that even considering conservative values for the meadow parameters (plant diameter, meadow density and canopy height), significant reductions of the annual average wave heights reaching the beach may be obtained, reducing flooding and erosion risks. Therefore, the investment in the conservation and restauration of seagrass meadows for protecting coastal areas from erosion and flooding is a measure that must be considered, due to the multiple benefits that they provide including ecosystem services. In addition, the proposed methodology may be a useful tool for coastal managers to help them in the design of seagrass meadows for coastal protection.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals