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Salt-marsh plants can protect inland areas against huge waves — but seemingly only up to a point, and big storms cause progressive damage.
By
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Rusty A. Feagin
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Rusty A. Feagin is in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology and the Department of Ocean Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA.
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M. Luisa Martínez
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M. Luisa Martínez is at the Network of Functional Ecology, Institute of Ecology (INECOL), Xalapa 91073, Mexico.
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Plants and other organisms can reduce the erosion of coasts by winds and waves. The physical structures of sand-dune and wetland plants, seagrasses, oysters and macroalgae can slow the flow of water and wind, capture sediment and modify soil. Over time, these organisms can also build land, store greenhouse gases, provide habitats for other species and beautify beaches and wetlands1. In some cases, they can be used as a nature-based solution in place of engineered structures. But coastal engineers and planners are often hesitant to incorporate them into construction projects, because their ability to perform in extreme conditions is unknown. Writing in Nature, Willemsen et al.2 determine the limits of coastal protection that salt-marsh plants can provide.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03063-6
References
Martínez, M. L. et al. Ecol. Econ. 63, 254–272 (2007).
Willemsen, P. W. J. M. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11145-8 (2026).
Möller, I. et al. Nature Geosci. 7, 727–731 (2014).
Silva, R., Martínez, M. L., Odériz, I., Mendoza, E. & Feagin, R. A. Coast. Eng. 109, 53–62 (2016).
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Leonardi, N., Ganju, N. K. & Fagherazzi, S. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 113, 64–68 (2016).
Maximiliano-Cordova, C. et al. Estuaries Coasts 42, 1730–1741 (2019).
Howes, N. C. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 107, 14014–14019 (2010).
Feagin, R. A. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 10109–10113 (2009).
Feagin, R. A. et al. Sci. Adv. 9, eadg7135 (2023).
van de Koppel, J., van der Wal, D., Bakker, J. P. & Herman, P. M. J. Am. Nat. 165, E1–E12 (2005).
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
