Impact of fringing reef and upperbeach vegetation state on storm runup in a Caribbean context

Thibault Laigre (1) , Yann Balouin (1) , Deborah Villaroel-Lamb (2) , Nico Valentini (1, 3) , Manuel Moisan (1) , Ywenn de La Torre (1)

1 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières
2 The University of the West Indies
3 UM - Université de Montpellier

Caribbean coastal ecosystems acts as a physical barrier against waves and can play a major role in reducing the impact of coastal hazards for small islands communities (Ferrario et al., 2014). However, they are highly impacted by human activities and global changes and their coverage is dropping in the Caribbean as well as in the rest of the world and consequently their protection effect is declining (e.g. Harris et al., 2018). Therefore, there is a growing interest for management interventions that may restore or enhance the coastal protection value of these ecosystems. The objective of this study is to provide quantitative indications on the effect of major storms with different ecosystem configurations and thus alert on the consequences of a further destruction or on the potential benefits of a natural regeneration or a human restoration.

Domaines: Milieux et Changements globaux; Ingénierie de l'environnement

Thibault Laigre, Yann Balouin, Deborah Villaroel-Lamb, Nico Valentini, Manuel Moisan, et al.. Impact of fringing reef and upperbeach vegetation state on storm runup in a Caribbean context. International Conference on Coastal Engineering, Dec 2022, Sydney, Australia. ⟨hal-03766042⟩