Deltares 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.