What is it about?
In this work we investigated how seagrass beds attenuate waves, by reducing their energy and height, using laboratory experiments. We show that when a current is present, the waves can be attenuated by seagrass beds more than previously thought. This enhanced attenuation is caused by the presence of a strong turbulent region at the top of the seagrass canopy. We propose a way to identify when this mechanism of wave attenuation is significant and to model it.
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Why is it important?
We identify a novel mechanism of wave attenuation induced by seagrass beds and provide: (a) an easy-to-get parameter to determine when this mechanism is significant; and (b) an analytical model to predict the wave attenuation it causes. This is important in coastal engineering and relevant nature-based solutions efforts to accurately quantify the contribution of seagrass beds on coastal protection.
Perspectives
This article is the result of 2 years of hard work and it was a real pleasure writing it with my co-authors. Incidentally, this time was the most challenging in my career due to the lack of recognition by the institution where I was based. The article gave me reasons to keep working through the excitement and positive vibes we felt every time we made progress and discovered how all bits and pieces would fit together. Besides the strong impact of our findings, I hope this article can be of example of how anyone can achieve success through passion and resilience.
Davide Vettori
University of Glasgow
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Turbulence enhances wave attenuation of seagrass in combined wave–current flows, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, February 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2414150122.
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