Document of bibliographic reference 295880

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Book chapters

Type of document

Conference paper

BibLvlCode

AM

Title

Nature-based flood protection: the efficiency of vegetated foreshores in reducing wave run-up

Abstract

It is generally recognized that vegetation fields can dissipate wave energy, authorizing the statements that vegetated foreshores can reduce the wave loads on coastal dikes. This paper actually quantifies the efficiency of vegetated foreshores in reducing the wave run-up on the outer slope of coastal dikes. The spectral wave model SWAN, which is used to compute the wave transformation over vegetated foreshores, has been validated using recent measurements of wave propagation over several salt marshes in the Netherlands under severe storm conditions. This article shows that in case that vegetated foreshores are present along coastal dikes, the wave run-up height on the outer slope of the dike is substantially reduced during storm conditions with large water depths and high waves. Vegetated foreshores are more effective in reducing wave loads on the dike than bare foreshores with the same geometry, even when vegetation in their fragile winter state is compared with a bottom on which ripples have been formed. Because the required crest height of a dike is strongly related to the wave run-up height, a reduction in wave run-up height allows for lower crests and more slender dike bodies. We conclude that the construction of vegetated foreshores can be considered as a sound alternative for traditional dike reinforcement methods.

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000398996206100

Bibliographic citation

Vuik, V.; Jonkman, S.N.; Borsje, B.W.; Suzuki, T.; Kratzer, I.; Bouma, T.J. (2015). Nature-based flood protection: the efficiency of vegetated foreshores in reducing wave run-up, in: Mynett, A. (Ed.) 36th IAHR World Congress 2015: deltas of the future and what happens upstream. pp. 6716-6722