We study the ability of living materials to reduce coastal erosion
Our ultimate aim is to assess how living ecosystems reduce land losses due to long-term sea level rise (as caused by climate change) and short-term extreme disturbances (like hurricanes). We put plants and other organisms into laboratory flumes, hit them with wind and waves, and identify their physical and temporal limits. We also study waves, wind, and erosion in the field and scale-up our findings to broader scales using spatial analysis.
We have found that over years to decades, many coastal organisms can stimulate the accumulation of sediments and increase the elevation of the landscape. For example, sand dune and wetland plants slow the passing wind and water, causing sediment to fall out of suspension and deposit on the surface. Seaweed and algal materials like Sargassum can bind sediments together. Oyster reefs can grow vertically as the sea rises.
However, we have also found that there are limits — for example, plant roots can fail when a large wave strikes during a hurricane. Living materials can reduce erosion, but only up to a particular magnitude of physical force and over a specific duration of time. Natural resource managers and engineers use our science to develop nature-based solutions that can protect socio-economic interests against natural hazards, while also maintaining a sustainable and dynamic coastal ecosystem.
Learn More:
Representative Publications:
Does Vegetation Accelerate Coastal Dune Erosion During Extreme Events? ➟
Feagin, R.A., Innocenti, R.A., Bond, H., Wengrove, M., Huff, T.P., Lomonaco, P., Tsai, B., Puleo, J., Pontiki, M., Figlus, J., Chavez, V., Silva, R. 2023. Science Advances 9: eadg7135.
Going With the Flow or Against the Grain? The Promise of Vegetation for Protecting Beaches, Dunes, and Barrier Islands From Erosion ➟
Feagin, R.A., Figlus, J., Zinnert, J.C., Sigren, J., Martínez, M.L., Silva, R., Smith, W.K., Cox, D., Young, D.R., Carter, G. 2015. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13: 203-210.
Shelter From the Storm? Use and Misuse of Coastal Vegetation Bioshields for Managing Natural Disasters ➟
Feagin, R.A., Mukherjee, N., Shanker, K., Baird, A.H., Cinner, J., Kerr, A.M., Koedam, N., Sridhar, A., Arthur, R., Jayatissa, L.P., Lo Seen, D., Menon, M., Rodriguez, S., Shamsuddoha, M., & Dahdouh-Guebas, F. 2010. Conservation Letters 3: 1-11.
Does Vegetation Prevent Wave Erosion of Salt Marsh Edges? ➟
Feagin, R.A., Lozada-Bernard, S.M., Ravens, T., Möller, I., Yeager, K.M., & Baird, A.H. 2009. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106: 10109-10113.