Credit: Kaitlyn Johnson/Texas A&M
Engineering
Driving
through almost any coastal town, you'll notice staples of being at the beach:
ice-cream stands, seafood shacks, bridges leading to the shore. But what if
they all washed away?
Barrier islands, which cover a majority
of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, protect coastal infrastructure, beach towns,
and ecosystems—such as marshes, mangroves and seagrass meadows—from damaging
storms and high-energy waves. In a recent study published in Communications
Earth & Environment, researchers from Texas A&M University led by
Dr. Orencio Duran Vinent gained a better understanding of what makes a barrier
island a "barrier."
The study, which used data from a
representative set of barrier islands in Virginia, focused on the transition of
barrier islands from their "high" state, in which the islands are
richly vegetated barriers with mature dunes, to their "barren" state,
where the islands become dune-less and barren.
When a barrier island is in a high
state, the dunes act as natural dikes, protecting coastal communities from the
impacts of storms and waves. In addition to protecting coastal communities, a
healthy dune system allows a barrier island to protect itself from frequent
flooding. Over time, flooding and beach erosion of islands in the high state
can cause them to lose their dunes and vegetation, creating a barren state.
When dunes are lost, so is the protection of the mainland.
A barrier island's elevation also
impacts its resilience over time. When barrier islands exist at a lower
elevation, it makes them more susceptible to flooding, even from weaker storms
and waves, putting them at increased risk of becoming barren.
Alongshore distribution of barrier
elevation and barrier classification. Credit: Communications Earth &
Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01611-4
The
results of the study show that there is a threshold elevation at which any
barrier island below the elevation is unlikely to recover following a storm.
These frequently flooded, dune-less barren islands are a natural endpoint of a
barrier island's evolution. To potentially restore them to their high state,
coastal engineers need to intervene.
"Modern coastal engineering aims to
use natural dynamics rather than concrete constructions, promoting sustainable
approaches that include and protect natural systems," said Vinent, an assistant professor in the
Department of Ocean Engineering at Texas A&M University. "The
resilience of coastal ecosystems after disturbances, such as storms, is crucial
for the success of nature-based solutions in coastal engineering."
As research efforts continue,
collaboration between coastal engineers and scientists from multiple
disciplines, including biology, ecology and geology, will allow for a better
understanding of how engineers can work to prevent the loss of coastal infrastructure
and recover barrier islands that fall below the elevation threshold for
recovery.
"A deeper understanding of the
connection between the natural environment and coastal engineering is
essential," said Vinent. "A better understanding of the natural
dynamics of barrier islands will allow a more timely and effective intervention
from coastal engineers, mitigating the risks to coastal infrastructure."
Continued research efforts and collaboration between engineers and scientists from multiple disciplines could make barren barrier islands return to a state of resilience, creating protection for coastal infrastructure, ecosystems, and those beloved days at the beach.
by Alyssa Schaechinger, Texas A&M University College of Engineering
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