Article
Environmental Sciences
Ines J. Castro, Joao M. Dias, Carina L. Lopes
Summary: Salt marshes are important wetlands facing deterioration and loss. This study evaluates the accuracy of different satellite data in determining the shoreline of narrow and fringing salt marshes. The results show that Landsat and Sentinel-2 data can accurately describe the salt marsh shoreline. The study also highlights the retreat of salt marshes in ilhavo and S. Jacinto channels, while the salt marsh in Mira channel has shown some advancement after 2000.
Article
Engineering, Marine
Ying Zhao, Zhong Peng, Qing He, Yuxi Ma
Summary: This study examines the wave attenuation over combinations of different vegetation types on tidal flats. The results show that the impact of vegetation combinations lies between that of individual vegetation types. The study proposes an empirical formula for calculating the wave transmission coefficient, taking into account multiple vegetation characteristics.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yiyang Xu, Tarandeep S. Kalra, Neil K. Ganju, Sergio Fagherazzi
Summary: This study used a 3D fully coupled modeling system to simulate the final vegetation cover and timescale of salt marshes under different forcing conditions. The simulations showed that sediment concentration, settling velocity, sea level rise, and tidal range each had different impacts on the equilibrium coverage and timescale of marshes.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Viktoria Kosmalla, Kara Keimer, David Schuerenkamp, Oliver Lojek, Nils Goseberg
Summary: This study investigates the erosion resistance of salt marsh soils influenced by grazing conditions using a novel shear resistance measuring device called DiCoastar. The results show that an increase in grazing intensity leads to an increase in shear strength, but a significant reduction in vegetation cover and plant diversity, potentially increasing the erosion potential of salt marshes and reducing dike stability.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Li, Lijuan Cui, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Juntao Wang, Yinuo Zhu, Rumiao Wang, Wei Li, Yinru Lei, Xiajie Zhai, Xinsheng Zhao, Brajesh K. Singh
Summary: This study investigated the shifts of microbial communities and soil multifunctionality along a vegetation gradient in a salt marsh ecosystem. The results showed that vegetation type had a significant impact on soil multifunctionality, and there was a positive correlation between fungal richness and soil multifunctionality.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carina L. Lopes, Renato Mendes, Isabel Cacador, Joao M. Dias
Summary: This study proposes an alternative methodology to identify priority areas for conservation using a combination of LANDSAT satellite remote sensing and numerical modelling. It identifies the most deteriorated salt marshes in central and upper lagoon regions and determines that marsh loss and degradation are primarily due to increased tidal action triggered by deepening lagoon channels. The study predicts that climate-induced mean sea level rise will exacerbate marsh deterioration, emphasizing the importance of protecting and restoring salt marshes.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
B. R. Evans, H. Brooks, C. Chirol, M. K. Kirkham, I Moller, K. Royse, K. Spencer, T. Spencer
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between the presence of different saltmarsh plants and the mechanical properties of the underlying substrate. The findings showed that vegetation can enhance sediment shear strengths, but the effect varies depending on the sediment type.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Luca Cortese, Sergio Fagherazzi
Summary: Wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta are degrading rapidly due to sea level rise and low sediment supply. This study in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana, USA, used field data and aerial images to identify the drivers of marsh accretion and degradation. Marshes located inland in sheltered areas and those facing open water exhibit different patterns, with the distance to nearby channels and wave activity playing key roles. The study proposes a bimodal evolution trajectory for marshes in Terrebonne Bay, where marshes close to the bay rapidly accrete but suffer lateral erosion, while sheltered marshes accrete slowly and degrade due to insufficient sediment supply.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alvise Finotello, Andrea D'Alpaos, Marco Marani, Enrico Bertuzzo
Summary: This article presents a new ecological model that describes the dynamics of halophytic vegetation in tidal saline wetlands. The model takes into account factors such as dispersal and competition among species, and is able to predict realistic vegetation distributions and species-richness patterns.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geography
Carlton P. Anderson, Gregory A. Carter, Margaret C. B. Waldron
Summary: Coastal marshes play a vital role in providing ecosystem services, such as biodiversity, water quality, and erosion protection. This study aimed to determine precise elevation thresholds associated with coastal marshes and their transition zones, known as ecotones, and upland plant communities along Mississippi's Gulf of Mexico coast. The results showed that the transitions from marsh to ecotone and ecotone to upland occurred at approximately 0.40 m and 0.60 m elevation, respectively. Understanding these centimeter-scale dependencies will facilitate the modeling of marsh migration in response to various factors.
ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Helen Brooks, Iris Moller, Simon Carr, Clementine Chirol, Elizabeth Christie, Ben Evans, Kate L. Spencer, Tom Spencer, Katherine Royse
Summary: Salt marshes deliver important ecosystem services, but are facing net losses globally and regionally. The ability of salt marshes to persist in a location depends on the resistance of their substrates to hydrodynamic forces, which is an area of ongoing research. Future studies are needed to systematically quantify marsh substrate properties and understand their interactions with erosion processes to better predict marsh evolution under future hydrodynamic forcing scenarios.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sheron Luk, Meagan J. Eagle, Giulio Mariotti, Kelsey Gosselin, Jonathan Sanderman, Amanda C. Spivak
Summary: Salt marsh ponds expand and deepen over time, potentially reducing ecosystem carbon storage and resilience. Erosion and decomposition are two mechanisms of carbon loss in the ponds, with erosion accounting for redistributed carbon and decomposition causing loss. The study found that ponding effects on carbon dynamics are shallow and mainly affect the surface soils, while the properties and organic matter composition of deeper soil horizons are similar to the marsh. Overall, the ponds negatively impact ecosystem carbon storage but at current densities, they are not causing widespread degradation of marshes in the studied system.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dezhi Chen, Jieping Tang, Fei Xing, Jun Cheng, Mingliang Li, Yiyi Zhang, Benwei Shi, Lianqiang Shi, Ya Ping Wang
Summary: Extremely shallow water stages have significant impacts on sediment dynamics and morphological changes in salt marshes, leading to obvious accretion in vegetated areas and erosion in unvegetated areas. Strong winds have a greater impact on deposition during these stages compared to calm weather.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Giovanna Nordio, Sergio Fagherazzi
Summary: Sediment transport on salt marsh platforms is mainly caused by storm events and high tides, while at high latitudes, ice-rafting acts as a secondary mechanism. A winter storm in 2018 resulted in a large sediment deposition in the Great Marsh in Plum Island Sound, Massachusetts, USA, mainly due to ice-rafting, which buried the marsh vegetation. The recovery of plant vegetation in sediment patches was observed, with different species showing varying responses. Overall, the deposition of sediment had a positive effect on marsh vegetation growth and restoration.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alvise Finotello, Davide Tognin, Luca Carniello, Massimiliano Ghinassi, Enrico Bertuzzo, Andrea D'Alpaos
Summary: The loss of salt marshes in back-barrier tidal embayments is causing significant changes in hydrodynamics, including higher water levels and reduced wave energy dissipation. Restoration projects and manmade protection of marsh margins have limited the negative effects of marsh loss, but the risk of flooding in urban settlements remains unchanged. The hydrodynamic response to salt-marsh erosion is highly site-specific, depending on embayment morphology and external tidal and wind forcings.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Valentina Vannucchi, Stefano Taddei, Valerio Capecchi, Michele Bendoni, Carlo Brandini
Summary: A 29-year wind/wave hindcast dataset over the Mediterranean Sea was produced by downscaling the ERA5 global atmospheric reanalyses. Variable resolutions reach up to 500 m along the coasts of Italy. The validation results show high velocity and significant wave height correlations with observations along the coastal regions.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Marco Marani, Luca Carniello, Andrea D'Alpaos, Stefano Lanzoni
Summary: Annual mean sea-level records in the northern Adriatic Sea over nearly 130 years show that the interannual variability is influenced by lunar precessions and solar activity. By fitting harmonics related to these factors, it was possible to explain more than 75% of the sea-level variability and predict future trends in the region. Additionally, anomalously high mean sea levels were observed during most of the high peaks of solar cycles in the area.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kun Zhao, Stefano Lanzoni, Zheng Gong, Giovanni Coco
Summary: The study developed a numerical model explicitly describing the role of bank collapse events in meander evolution. Results showed that as meandering migration and elongation occur, bank collapse events converge towards sections of the channel with maximum bed shear stress, speeding up short-term meander migration.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
G. Calvani, C. Carbonari, L. Solari
Summary: Vegetation plays a crucial role in riverine environments by influencing hydrodynamics and morphodynamics. This study derived analytical formulations to predict the thresholds for vegetation colonization based on flow velocity and Froude number, considering submergence conditions. The results highlight the importance of vegetation characteristics and flow regime in determining the thresholds, and provide insights for river restoration projects and understanding bio-morphological changes.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Riccardo A. Mel, Michele Bendoni, Daniele Steffinlongo
Summary: This study investigates the lateral evolution of salt marsh margins in the Venice Lagoon at different time scales, combining marsh retreat measurements, remote sensing data, and numerical modeling. The study confirms a linear relationship between erosion rate and wave power at different time scales, with a decreasing slope at higher elevation of the marsh bank, explaining the occurrence of cantilever profiles. The study also highlights the major issues affecting in-situ monitoring campaigns.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Michele Bendoni, Maria Fattorini, Stefano Taddei, Carlo Brandini
Summary: This study implements a native nested configuration of the ROMS model on a marine area, showing that the downscaled procedure can reduce model errors for temperature profiles but not salinity profiles. Errors in surface currents are reduced and appear to be uncorrelated to the original CMEMS product.
Review
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Kun Zhao, Giovanni Coco, Zheng Gong, Stephen E. Darby, Stefano Lanzoni, Fan Xu, Kaili Zhang, Ian Townend
Summary: Bank retreat plays a fundamental role in fluvial and estuarine dynamics, affecting channel evolution, sediment supply, and habitat diversity. This review examines mechanisms, observations, and modeling of bank retreat in rivers and tidal channels. It finds that external forces have similar effects on bank stability and failure mode in both river and tidal environments. The review discusses existing data and modeling approaches, highlighting the need to consider hydraulic and geotechnical controls. It proposes a new hierarchy of modeling styles and emphasizes the importance of understanding multifactor-driven bank retreat at different temporal scales.
REVIEWS OF GEOPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
G. Calvani, C. Carbonari, L. Solari
Summary: The study explores the conditions and stability of aquatic vegetation patches in fluvial systems, proposing a theoretical framework for vegetation dynamics and hydrodynamics. By conducting linear stability analysis of the eco-hydrodynamic problem using the quasi-steady approximation, the research reveals the relationship between the growth rate and migration rate of vegetation density perturbations with wavenumber and relevant parameters.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Lorenzo Scopetani, Simona Francalanci, Enio Paris, Leonardo Faggioli, Jacopo Guerrini
Summary: Managing the levee system of a river network is crucial for reducing flood risk and protecting communities. This study aims to develop a basin-scale methodology to analyze the current state of river levees and identify targeted solutions for preventing breakages. By using a vulnerability index and mapping flooded areas, a decision support procedure can be provided to define priority interventions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
G. Calvani, S. Francalanci, L. Solari
Summary: Alternate bars are distinct landforms in straight or gently curved channels caused by riverbed instability. The length of the bars is proportional to the width of the river, while the height is proportional to the water depth. During low water stages, riparian vegetation can colonize the exposed alternate bars. However, the effects of established plants on the dynamics and morphology of alternate bars have not been well studied. This study used flume experiments to investigate the effects of rigid vegetation on previously developed alternate bars in a straight channel. The results showed that vegetation altered both the vertical and horizontal characteristics of the bar patterns. The presence of vegetation increased wave amplitude and scour depth, and this effect became more pronounced with higher plant density. Additionally, the wavenumbers of the vegetated bars decreased with increasing vegetation density. Comparisons with previous studies on planimetric instability of straight channels with bare-bed alternate bars suggested that the presence of established vegetated bars may promote the transition to meandering in rivers.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
L. Geng, S. Lanzoni, A. D'Alpaos, A. Sgarabotto, Z. Gong
Summary: In this study, a numerical model was used to investigate the effects of initial bathymetry on the ontogeny of tidal networks in a tidal basin. It was found that different perturbation densities have mild effects on the growth of tidal networks, while changes in perturbation distribution significantly affect the complexity and structure of the channel networks. Vegetation growth was found to increase channel length and narrowness, leading to higher complexity and drainage efficiency of the system.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Michele Bendoni, Andrew M. Moore, Anne Molcard, Marcello G. Magaldi, Maria Fattorini, Carlo Brandini
Summary: This study investigates the impact of assimilating surface velocities from two HF-Radars (HFRs) and satellite sea surface temperature (SST) into an ocean circulation model in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. The results show improvements in simulated velocities and SST compared to the free run, with error reduction and increased correlation values. The assimilation of surface velocities and SST also improves the surface circulation within the areas covered by HFR observations, while improvements and degradations outside these areas balance each other. The assimilation has a significant impact on the alongshore transport where surface velocities are assimilated, while the effect of SST is to modify velocity distribution along transects without changing the transport increment.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Pablo Lorente, Eva Aguiar, Michele Bendoni, Maristella Berta, Carlo Brandini, Alejandro Caceres-Euse, Fulvio Capodici, Daniela Cianelli, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Lorenzo Corgnati, Vlado Dadic, Bartolomeo Doronzo, Aldo Drago, Dylan Dumas, Pierpaolo Falco, Maria Fattorini, Adam Gauci, Roberto Gomez, Annalisa Griffa, Charles-Antoine Guerin, Ismael Hernandez-Carrasco, Jaime Hernandez-Lasheras, Matjaz Licer, Marcello G. Magaldi, Carlo Mantovani, Hrvoje Mihanovic, Anne Molcard, Baptiste Mourre, Alejandro Orfila, Adele Revelard, Emma Reyes, Jorge Sanchez, Simona Saviano, Roberta Sciascia, Stefano Taddei, Joaquin Tintore, Yaron Toledo, Laura Ursella, Marco Uttieri, Ivica Vilibic, Enrico Zambianchi, Vanessa Cardin
Summary: Due to its unique geographical characteristics, the Mediterranean Sea faces stronger pressures from natural disasters and human activities on its coastal ecosystems than any other sea. High-frequency radar (HFR) technology is an effective tool for monitoring coastal waters in near-real time, providing detailed maps of surface circulation and reliable wave and wind information. The development of a Mediterranean HFR network requires collaboration among different institutions to standardize data and management practices, enabling strategic planning and decision-making.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Emma Reyes, Eva Aguiar, Michele Bendoni, Maristella Berta, Carlo Brandini, Alejandro Caceres-Euse, Fulvio Capodici, Vanessa Cardin, Daniela Cianelli, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Lorenzo Corgnati, Vlado Dadic, Bartolomeo Doronzo, Aldo Drago, Dylan Dumas, Pierpaolo Falco, Maria Fattorini, Maria J. Fernandes, Adam Gauci, Roberto Gomez, Annalisa Griffa, Charles-Antoine Guerin, Ismael Hernandez-Carrasco, Jaime Hernandez-Lasheras, Matjaz Licer, Pablo Lorente, Marcello G. Magaldi, Carlo Mantovani, Hrvoje Mihanovic, Anne Molcard, Baptiste Mourre, Adele Revelard, Catalina Reyes-Suarez, Simona Saviano, Roberta Sciascia, Stefano Taddei, Joaquin Tintore, Yaron Toledo, Marco Uttieri, Ivica Vilibic, Enrico Zambianchi, Alejandro Orfila
Summary: The Mediterranean Sea is a climate-change hot spot, and high-frequency radars (HFRs) have proven to be effective in monitoring surface circulation, waves, and winds in coastal areas. The use of HFRs has enhanced our scientific knowledge of coastal processes and has various applications in maritime safety, extreme hazards, and environmental transport.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Colin B. Phillips, Claire C. Masteller, Louise J. Slater, Kieran B. J. Dunne, Simona Francalanci, Stefano Lanzoni, Dorothy J. Merritts, Eric Lajeunesse, Douglas J. Jerolmack
Summary: This Perspective examines how the size and shape of alluvial river channels are controlled and adjusted by the flow of water and sediment. The feedback between flow and form modulates flood risk and the impacts of climate and land-use change. Despite variations in hydro-climates, sediment supply, geology, and vegetation, rivers follow remarkably consistent hydraulic geometry scaling relations.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
