Mangrove Hydrodynamics
Studied tidal flow and drag-driven hydrodynamics within riverine-type mangrove swamps, and how long-term human impact on mangrove forests contributes to coastal erosion.
The Challenge
Mangrove forests attenuate tidal flow and protect coastlines from erosion, but the drag and eddy-viscosity mechanisms governing tidal flow through mangrove root systems — and the consequences of losing that vegetation — were not well quantified.
The Approach
Combined field measurements of tidal flow within mangrove swamps with hydrodynamic analysis of drag force, eddy viscosity, and velocity reduction through the root system, and separately assessed coastal erosion trends tied to long-term human impact on mangrove forests.
The Result
Published across three papers in Wetlands Ecology and Management: Tidal Flow in Riverine-Type Mangroves (Kobashi & Mazda, 2005), Tidal-Scale Hydrodynamics within Mangrove Swamps (Mazda, Kobashi & Okada, 2005), and Coastal Erosion due to Long-Term Human Impact on Mangrove Forests (Mazda et al., 2002).
Thumbnail: Coastal mangrove forest, Umgeni River — © Rudantu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.