The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise

Lauren T. Toth (), Curt D. Storlazzi, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Ellen Quataert, Johan Reyns, Robert McCall, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Nathaniel Hanna Holloway, Kristen A. Ewen, Clayton G. Pollock, Tessa Code and Richard B. Aronson
Additional contact information
Lauren T. Toth: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Curt D. Storlazzi: Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Ilsa B. Kuffner: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Ellen Quataert: Deltares
Johan Reyns: Deltares
Robert McCall: Deltares
Anastasios Stathakopoulos: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Zandy Hillis-Starr: National Park Service
Nathaniel Hanna Holloway: National Park Service
Kristen A. Ewen: National Park Service
Clayton G. Pollock: National Park Service
Tessa Code: National Park Service
Richard B. Aronson: Florida Institute of Technology, Department of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract The ability of reefs to protect coastlines from storm-driven flooding hinges on their capacity to keep pace with sea-level rise. Here, we show how and whether coral restoration could achieve the often-cited goal of reversing the impacts of coral-reef degradation to preserve this essential function. We combined coral-growth measurements and carbonate-budget assessments of reef-accretion potential at Buck Island Reef, U.S. Virgin Islands, with hydrodynamic modeling to quantify future coastal flooding under various coral-restoration, sea-level rise, and storm scenarios. Our results provide guidance on how restoration of Acropora palmata, if successful, could mitigate the most extreme impacts of coastal flooding by reversing projected trajectories of reef erosion and allowing reefs to keep pace with the ~0.5 m of sea-level rise expected by 2100 with moderate carbon-emissions reductions. This highlights the potential long-term benefits of pursuing coral-reef restoration alongside climate-change mitigation to support the persistence of essential coral-reef ecosystem services.

Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-37858-2

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37858-2

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