Plant growth strategies directly affect biogeomorphology of estuaries
Bouma, T.J.; Friedrichs, M.; van Wesenbeeck, B.K.; Brun, F.G.; Temmerman, S.; de Vries, M.B.; Graf, G.; Herman, P.M.J. (2008). Plant growth strategies directly affect biogeomorphology of estuaries, in: Dohmen-Janssen, C.M. et al. (Ed.) River, coastal and estuarine morphodynamics: RCEM 2007. Proceedings of the 5th IAHR symposium on river, coastal and estuarine morphodynamics, Enschede, The Netherlands, 17-21 september 2007. pp. 285-292 In: Dohmen-Janssen, C.M.; Hulscher, S.J.M.H. (Ed.) (2008). River, coastal and estuarine morphodynamics: RCEM 2007. Proceedings of the 5th IAHR symposium on river, coastal and estuarine morphodynamics, Enschede, The Netherlands, 17-21 september 2007. Taylor and Francis: London. ISBN 978-0-415-45363-9. VOL. 1 (XVIII, 669); vol. 2 (XVIII, 1271) pp., more |
| Keywords | Marine/Coastal; Brackish water; Fresh water |
| Authors | | Top | - Bouma, T.J., more
- Friedrichs, M.
- van Wesenbeeck, B.K.
- Brun, F.G.
| - Temmerman, S., more
- de Vries, M.B.
- Graf, G., more
- Herman, P.M.J.
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| Abstract | Biophysical interactions between organisms and hydrodynamic forces are a main determinant of geomorphology of intertidal areas. Especially vascular plants have striking effects on intertidal geomorphology. Seagrasses and salt-marsh plants that inhabit intertidal areas are known to have strongly contrasting morphologies. Differences in growth strategy by which plants cope with hydrodynamic forces are particularly interesting, as modification of these forces determine if and how species enhance sediment accretion. This raises the question to what extent differences in plant growth strategies directly affect the biogeomorphological development of the estuarine landscape. In this paper we i) provide a concise overview of our recent research on this topic, which has often been published in the more ecological literature, and ii) indicate how we have recently assessed the geomorphological effect of different vegetation types, by combining a series of unidirectional flow studies in flumes and hydrodynamic modeling at the landscape with a mechanistic hydrodynamic model (Delft-3D). |
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