Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies
Abstract The capacity of mangroves to reduce coastal flood risk resulted in legislation for mandatory widths of mangrove greenbelts in several countries with mangrove presence. Prescribed forest widths vary between 50 and 200 m. Here, we performed 216,000 numerical model runs informed by realistic c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02178-4 |
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| author | Bregje K. van Wesenbeeck Vincent T. M. van Zelst Jose A. A Antolinez Wiebe P. de Boer |
| author_facet | Bregje K. van Wesenbeeck Vincent T. M. van Zelst Jose A. A Antolinez Wiebe P. de Boer |
| author_sort | Bregje K. van Wesenbeeck |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The capacity of mangroves to reduce coastal flood risk resulted in legislation for mandatory widths of mangrove greenbelts in several countries with mangrove presence. Prescribed forest widths vary between 50 and 200 m. Here, we performed 216,000 numerical model runs informed by realistic conditions to quantify confidence in wave reduction capacity of mangroves for wind and swell waves. This analysis highlights that tidal flat areas fronting mangrove forests already account for 70% of reduction in wave heights. Within mangrove forests that are below 500 m wide, wave dissipation is strongly dependent on local water levels, wave characteristics and forest density. For forest widths of over 500 m, which constitute 46% of global coastal mangroves, around 75% or more of the incoming wave energy is dissipated. Hence, for relying on mangroves to dampen shorter waves, a new standard should be adopted that strives for mangrove widths of 500 m or more. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-db334d6a99f94a4c8bae576dc24f4111 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-db334d6a99f94a4c8bae576dc24f41112025-08-20T02:34:04ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-04-01611810.1038/s43247-025-02178-4Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policiesBregje K. van Wesenbeeck0Vincent T. M. van Zelst1Jose A. A Antolinez2Wiebe P. de Boer3Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and GeosciencesDelft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and GeosciencesDelft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and GeosciencesDeltaresAbstract The capacity of mangroves to reduce coastal flood risk resulted in legislation for mandatory widths of mangrove greenbelts in several countries with mangrove presence. Prescribed forest widths vary between 50 and 200 m. Here, we performed 216,000 numerical model runs informed by realistic conditions to quantify confidence in wave reduction capacity of mangroves for wind and swell waves. This analysis highlights that tidal flat areas fronting mangrove forests already account for 70% of reduction in wave heights. Within mangrove forests that are below 500 m wide, wave dissipation is strongly dependent on local water levels, wave characteristics and forest density. For forest widths of over 500 m, which constitute 46% of global coastal mangroves, around 75% or more of the incoming wave energy is dissipated. Hence, for relying on mangroves to dampen shorter waves, a new standard should be adopted that strives for mangrove widths of 500 m or more.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02178-4 |
| spellingShingle | Bregje K. van Wesenbeeck Vincent T. M. van Zelst Jose A. A Antolinez Wiebe P. de Boer Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies |
| title_full | Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies |
| title_short | Quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies |
| title_sort | quantifying uncertainty in wave attenuation by mangroves to inform coastal green belt policies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02178-4 |
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