Coastal ecosystems, such as mangrove forests and coral reefs, are increasingly being adopted as hazard reduction methods in coastal defence strategies. Such strategies fall under the widely adopted concept of Nature Based Solutions and provide a “soft” solution to hazard mitigation. However, uncertainty in the hazard reduction performance means they are typically considered alongside traditional (“hard”) engineering measures.
To improve societal and public resilience and support climate change adaptation, we must move towards more complete NBS strategies where possible.
To support this, we have recently signed a Cooperative Agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Centre. This collaborative research project is being led by Dr David Kelly and will focus on using CFD modelling to better understand the interaction of these systems with hydrodynamic processes to allow us to better parameterise these. This will ultimately provide greater confidence in modelling the risk reduction benefits of these systems with coastal management strategies.
This project highlights our commitment to ensuring that research and innovation play a central role in our ambition of leading in society’s pursuit of resilience to climate change. Contact Doug Pender to learn more about this project or our Marine and Coastal Risk Management Service.
