2023-06-15 テキサス A&M大学
◆研究は、テキサスA&M大学のRusty Feagin教授が指導し、大規模なシミュレーション実験が行われた。砂丘と植生の組み合わせが、将来の嵐に備えた保護策として有望であることが示された。
＜関連情報＞
- https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2023/06/15/sand-dunes/
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg7135
植生は異常気象時に海岸砂丘の浸食を加速させるか？ Does vegetation accelerate coastal dune erosion during extreme events?
Rusty A. Feagin,Rachel A. Innocenti,Hailey Bond,Meagan Wengrove,Thomas P. Huff,Pedro Lomonaco,Benjamin Tsai,Jack Puleo,Maria Pontiki,Jens Figlus,Valeria Chavez,Rodolfo Silva,
Science Advances Published:14 Jun 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg7135
Abstract
A broadly accepted paradigm is that vegetation reduces coastal dune erosion. However, we show that during an extreme storm event, vegetation surprisingly accelerates erosion. In 104-m-long beach-dune profile experiments conducted within a flume, we discovered that while vegetation initially creates a physical barrier to wave energy, it also (i) decreases wave run-up, which creates discontinuities in erosion and accretion patterns across the dune slope, (ii) increases water penetration into the sediment bed, which induces its fluidization and destabilization, and (iii) reflects wave energy, accelerating scarp formation. Once a discontinuous scarp forms, the erosion accelerates further. These findings fundamentally alter the current understanding of how natural and vegetated features may provide protection during extreme events.
