Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), 4401 NT Yerseke, the Netherlands

Seagrass roots strongly reduce cliff erosion rates in sandy sediments

Published in Marine Ecology Progress Series

Vegetated coastal ecosystems such as saltmarshes, mangroves and seagrass beds are increasingly promoted as sustainable storm and flood defence solutions by reducing wave energy. Yet, there is still intense debate on the ability of root mats to mitigate erosion, with some studies arguing that the direct contribution of roots in preventing sediment e...