Nature-based flood protection

Using vegetated foreshores for reducing coastal risk

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Abstract

Vegetated foreshores such as salt marshes, mangrove forests and reed fields can reduce wave loads on coastal dikes due to depth-induced wave breaking and wave attenuation by vegetation. Here we present field measurements of wave propagation over salt marshes during severe storm conditions, a modelling approach to describe the effect of vegetated foreshores on wave loads on the dike, and a probabilistic model to quantify the effect of vegetated foreshores on failure probabilities of the dike due to wave overtopping.