WAddensea Morphodynamic Marsh models - WAMM
Salt marshes are coastal sedimentary systems which are important for wave attenuation and coastal protection. In general, many salt marshes can adjust to sea level rise (SLR), because increased inundation frequencies lead to enhanced sediment deposition and accretion. However, on a decadal time scale complex morphological responses of tidal marshes might evolve in times of global change due to spatial and temporal variable sediment deposition rates. Sediment deposition and accretion rates and patterns in salt marshes are affected by external environmental factors such as the tidal range, storm frequency and sediment supply, many of which will be altered by environmental change. Internal factors such as elevation and distance to the sediment source affect sediment deposition rates and patterns on the local scale. Additionally, vegetation was found to affect sediment deposition by reducing flow velocity.
Various morphodynamic models considering these factors have been proposed to predict changes in surface elevation of tidal marshes. These models reach from zero-dimensional point models to landscape scale models. Furthermore, both models based on empirical field measurements and statistical analysis, and physical models based on hydrodynamic equations are available. Many of these models also attempt to include the effect of vegetation on flow and sediment deposition. Yet, many biophysical interactions between marsh vegetation and hydro-morphological processes, and effects of heterogeneous vegetation patterns on sediment fluxes are poorly understood. For example, models mostly focus on homogeneous low marshes, but vegetation structure strongly differs between marsh zones and forms heterogeneous patterns
The aim of this project is to improve morphodynamic marsh models by improving our knowledge about feedback loops between sediment and vegetation for salt marshes in the Wadden Sea.
Projectpartners:
Angewandte Pflanzenökologie, Universität Hamburg:
Dr. Stefanie Nolte, Prof. Dr. Kai Jensen, Dennis Schulze
Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgien:
Prof. Dr. Stijn Temmerman
Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz Schleswig-Holstein:
Dr. Martin Stock
- Duration: 2016-2020
- Sponsor: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft