A model for understanding the effects of flow conditions on oyster reef development and impacts to wave attenuation

Rebecca E. Stanley, Matthew V. Bilskie, C. Brock Woodson and James E. Byers

Ecological Modelling, 2024, vol. 489, issue C

Abstract: Nature-based solutions (NBS) can be used as an alternative or in conjunction with conventional coastal defense infrastructure for flood hazard mitigation. NBS can provide resilience and ancillary benefits, such as ecosystem enhancement. Oyster reefs, an example of NBS, act as natural breakwaters and provide ecological habitat for numerous species. The effectiveness of oyster reefs as NBS depends on their growth and survival and is influenced by the surrounding hydrodynamic conditions that affect food flux and sedimentation. A point-based oyster growth model was expanded and linked with a hydrodynamic model to simulate oyster and reef growth in the South Atlantic Bight. The highest live oyster layer heights increase with velocity until a depth-dependent velocity threshold is met, where sediment deposition begins to reduce growth. The potential for wave dissipation (total reef height) is depth-limited with a broader range of favorable locations than consideration for oyster layer height alone. The reef heights predicted across the model domain were shown to reduce significant wave height across a range of tropical storm intensities.

Keywords: Oyster reefs; Nature-based infrastructure; Natural and nature-based features; Numerical modeling; ADCIRC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:489:y:2024:i:c:s0304380024000164

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110627

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