Oyster breakwater reefs promote adjacent mudflat stability and salt marsh growth in a monsoon dominated subtropical coast

Oyster reefs have the potential as eco-engineers to improve coastal protection. A field experiment was undertaken to assess the benefit of oyster breakwater reefs to mitigate shoreline erosion in a monsoon-dominated subtropical system. Three breakwater reefs with recruited oysters were deployed on a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2019-06, Vol.9 (1), p.8549-8549, Article 8549
Main Authors: Chowdhury, Mohammed Shah Nawaz, Walles, Brenda, Sharifuzzaman, SM, Shahadat Hossain, M., Ysebaert, Tom, Smaal, Aad C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
704/829/2737
704/829/826
Animal behavior
Breakwaters
Coastal erosion
Coastal zone management
Coral Reefs
Cyclonic Storms
Environmental protection
Humanities and Social Sciences
Monsoons
Mud flats
multidisciplinary
Onderz. Form. D
Onderz. Form. I
Oysters
Reefs
Salt marshes
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Sediments
Shoreline protection
Shorelines
Suspended sediments
Tidewater
Tropical Climate
Water levels
Wave energy
Wave height
Wetlands
Wind
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Summary:Oyster reefs have the potential as eco-engineers to improve coastal protection. A field experiment was undertaken to assess the benefit of oyster breakwater reefs to mitigate shoreline erosion in a monsoon-dominated subtropical system. Three breakwater reefs with recruited oysters were deployed on an eroding intertidal mudflat at Kutubdia Island, the southeast Bangladesh coast. Data were collected on wave dissipation by the reef structures, changes in shoreline profile, erosion-accretion patterns, and lateral saltmarsh movement and related growth. This was done over four seasons, including the rainy monsoon period. The observed wave heights in the study area ranged 0.1–0.5 m. The reefs were able to dissipate wave energy and act as breakwaters for tidal water levels between 0.5–1.0 m. Waves were totally blocked by the vertical relief of the reefs at water levels
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-019-44925-6