Title of the project
Living on the edge: Biogeomorphic evolution of salt marshes under wave and tidal forcing
Type
PhD research
Duration
2022 - 2026
Persons involved
Sarah Dzimballa, MSc. (PhD candidate)
Dr. Vasileios Kitsikoudis (Daily supervisor)
Dr.Ir. Bas W. Borsje (Co-supervisor)
Dr.Ir. Denie C. M. Augustijn (Promoter)
Funding of the project
This research is part of the NWO VIDI project “Living on the edge”.
Summary of the research
Coastal ecosystems are becoming increasingly important for coastal protection. Salt marshes are one of these ecosystems providing a variety of valuable ecological, economic and coastal protection services worldwide. In particular, their role in wave attenuation has been highlighted in recent years. However, salt marshes are dynamic, spatially variable systems driven by numerous bio-physical processes.
The lateral extent has been identified as an important factor in the wave attenuation potential of salt marshes. Under favorable conditions, the marsh may extend further seaward, but due to external influences and low sediment availability, the marsh may retreat landward by forming a cliff at the marsh edge. Bare sediment can be removed from the base of the cliff leading to further marsh retreat. These edge dynamics are poorly understood and rarely parameterized in previous numerical models. Thus, numerical models that incorporate the dynamics at the salt marsh edge are needed. However, modelling marsh expansion and retreat is complicated due to the biogeophysical interactions at the marsh edge and the height difference between the marsh and the adjacent mudflat. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of the bio-physical processes at the salt marsh edge, high resolution data, both spatially as well as temporally, is needed.
It is important to understand and predict the dynamics of marsh edges in order to determine the resilience of salt marshes to future stresses such as sea level rise and increase in storminess. Furthermore, an improved understanding of the salt marsh edge dynamics can support the design of nature-based solutions and artificial interventions to reduce hydrodynamic influences and promote vegetation growth. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the processes that determine the dynamics of natural wetlands, in particular regarding the marsh edge and the influences of artificial structures on those dynamics. The study will be conducted using a combination of field measurements, including high resolution data from drone measurements, and numerical modelling.
Keywords
salt marsh, salt marsh edge, cliff erosion, biogeomorphological modelling, drone measurements
More information
Sarah Dzimballa
Room Horst-Ring W209
E-mail s.dzimballa@utwente.nl