GoKawiilDeltares flume test measures how salt marshes blunt storm waves before dikes
Researchers built a large-scale physical model in Deltares' Delta Flume, transplanting 66 real salt marsh blocks onto a sand bed in front of a dike to study how marshes behave during extreme storms. The setup recreated field conditions, including a cliff edge at the seaward marsh boundary protected by a brushwood dam, and a sloped bare tidal flat to simulate natural wave approach before reaching the vegetated marsh.
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By using real, transplanted marsh sections rather than artificial vegetation, the experiment could capture how plants actually break or bend under storm wave forces, which researchers say offers more realistic data on wave attenuation than smaller-scale or synthetic models. Such findings could inform coastal engineers and planners considering natural marsh buffers as a complement to traditional dikes for flood defence, though the degree to which lab results translate to real coastlines remains an inference rather than a proven outcome.
- Deltares used 66 real salt marsh blocks in a 300m wave flume to test storm wave attenuation.
- The model replicated field features like a marsh cliff edge and brushwood erosion protection.
- Results could support arguments for using salt marshes as natural flood defence buffers alongside dikes.
Source: nature.com — Willemsen, 2026-10-21
Published there as: “The contribution of salt marshes to wave attenuation during extreme storms”
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