The contribution of salt marshes to wave attenuation during extreme storms
8 affiliations
- 1Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- 2Deltares, Delft, the Netherlands
- 3Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Yerseke, the Netherlands
- 4Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- 5Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
- 6University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands
- 7Wetterskip Fryslân, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
- 8Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
Abstract
Salt marshes protect coastlines by attenuating wind waves with their elevated marsh platform and above-ground vegetation1. Confidence in the persistence of this service under a changing climate requires knowledge on how extreme storms damage the platform and vegetation; however, a comprehensive, quantified understanding of salt marsh–wave interactions under extreme events is lacking. A unique experiment was conducted by transferring intact salt marsh to one of the world’s largest wave flumes, and subsequently exposing it to increasingly higher waves that reach up to 2 m significant wave height. We show that marsh substrates can persist with negligible erosion, despite cumulative wave exposure. By contrast, the vegetation was progressively damaged during continued wave exposure, gradually reducing vegetation-related wave attenuation. Results emphasize that vegetation was most effective in attenuating waves at low-energy marsh coasts (up to 1 m), where attenuation exceeded 10% (up to 50%), whereas attenuation at high-energy marsh coasts (wave height > 1 m) does not exceed 10%. Our global assessment supports the differentiation between low- and high-energetic conditions resulting from the flume experiment. Our results suggest that the marsh platform remains stable under extreme wave events and that substantial wave attenuation by marsh vegetation is limited to low-energy marsh coasts.
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BibTeX
@article{willemsen2026contribution,
title = {{The contribution of salt marshes to wave attenuation during extreme storms}},
author = {Pim W. J. M. Willemsen and Victoria G. Mason and Vincent van Zelst and Vera M. van Bergeijk and Mark Klein Breteler and Jos R. M. Muller and Dimitrios Dermentzoglou and Akis Vouziouris and Thomas J. van Veelen and S. Dzimballa and Kathelijne M. Wijnberg and Antonius J. F. Hoitink and Paul Buring and Maike Paul and Alessandro Antonini and Tjeerd J. Bouma and Bas W. Borsje},
journal = {Nature},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41586-026-11145-8},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11145-8},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The contribution of salt marshes to wave attenuation during extreme storms
AU - Pim W. J. M. Willemsen
AU - Victoria G. Mason
AU - Vincent van Zelst
AU - Vera M. van Bergeijk
AU - Mark Klein Breteler
AU - Jos R. M. Muller
AU - Dimitrios Dermentzoglou
AU - Akis Vouziouris
AU - Thomas J. van Veelen
AU - S. Dzimballa
AU - Kathelijne M. Wijnberg
AU - Antonius J. F. Hoitink
AU - Paul Buring
AU - Maike Paul
AU - Alessandro Antonini
AU - Tjeerd J. Bouma
AU - Bas W. Borsje
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Nature
DO - 10.1038/s41586-026-11145-8
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11145-8
AB - Salt marshes protect coastlines by attenuating wind waves with their elevated marsh platform and above-ground vegetation1. Confidence in the persistence of this service under a changing climate requires knowledge on how extreme storms damage the platform and vegetation; however, a comprehensive, quantified understanding of salt marsh–wave interactions under extreme events is lacking. A unique experiment was conducted by transferring intact salt marsh to one of the world’s largest wave flumes, and subsequently exposing it to increasingly higher waves that reach up to 2 m significant wave height. We show that marsh substrates can persist with negligible erosion, despite cumulative wave exposure. By contrast, the vegetation was progressively damaged during continued wave exposure, gradually reducing vegetation-related wave attenuation. Results emphasize that vegetation was most effective in attenuating waves at low-energy marsh coasts (up to 1 m), where attenuation exceeded 10% (up to 50%), whereas attenuation at high-energy marsh coasts (wave height > 1 m) does not exceed 10%. Our global assessment supports the differentiation between low- and high-energetic conditions resulting from the flume experiment. Our results suggest that the marsh platform remains stable under extreme wave events and that substantial wave attenuation by marsh vegetation is limited to low-energy marsh coasts.
SN - 0028-0836
SN - 1476-4687
ER -