Vegetation controls on channel network complexity in coastal wetlands

Roeland C. Van de Vijsel; Jim van Belzen; Tjeerd J. Bouma; Daphne van der Wal; Bas W. Borsje; Stijn Temmerman; Loreta Cornacchia; Olivier Gourgue; Johan van de Koppel

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-42731-3

Vegetation controls on channel network complexity in coastal wetlands

Roeland C. Van de Vijsel^* (Corresponding Author), Jim van Belzen, Tjeerd J. Bouma, Daphne van der Wal, Bas W. Borsje, Stijn Temmerman, Loreta Cornacchia, Olivier Gourgue, Johan van de Koppel

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

Channel networks are key to coastal wetland functioning and resilience under climate change. Vegetation affects sediment and hydrodynamics in many different ways, which calls for a coherent framework to explain how vegetation
shapes channel network geometry and functioning. Here, we introduce an idealized model that shows how coastal wetland vegetation creates more complexly branching networks by increasing the ratio of channel incision
versus topographic diffusion rates, thereby amplifying the channelization
feedback that recursively incises finer-scale side-channels. This complex-ification trend qualitatively agrees with and provides an explanation for field
data presented here as well as in earlier studies. Moreover, our model
demonstrates that a stronger biogeomorphic feedback leads to higher and
more densely vegetated marsh platforms and more extensive drainage networks. These findings may inspire future field research by raising the
hypothesis that vegetation-induced self-organization enhances the storm
surge buffering capacity of coastal wetlands and their resilience under sealevel rise

Original language	English
Article number	7158
Journal	Nature communications
Volume	14
Issue number	1
Early online date	7 Nov 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42731-3
Publication status	Published - 2023

Keywords

ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE
ITC-GOLD

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1038/s41467-023-42731-3Licence: CC BY

s41467-023-42731-3Final published version, 2.61 MBLicence: CC BY

Vegetation controls on channel network complexity in coastal wetlands - Dataset
van de Vijsel, R. C. (Creator), van Belzen, J. (Creator), Bouma, T. J. (Creator), van der Wal, D. (Creator), Borsje, B. W. (Creator), Temmerman, S. (Creator), Cornacchia, L. (Creator), Gourgue, O. (Creator) & van de Koppel, J. (Creator), 4TU.Centre for Research Data, 8 Nov 2023
DOI: 10.4121/8d361887-ec02-4472-a8eb-a9d0f3eacfd6, https://data.4tu.nl/datasets/8d361887-ec02-4472-a8eb-a9d0f3eacfd6 and one more link, https://data.4tu.nl/datasets/8d361887-ec02-4472-a8eb-a9d0f3eacfd6/1 (show fewer)
Dataset

Cite this

@article{92d3323930ca4c0fa212f32706b531e3,

title = "Vegetation controls on channel network complexity in coastal wetlands",

abstract = "Channel networks are key to coastal wetland functioning and resilience under climate change. Vegetation affects sediment and hydrodynamics in many different ways, which calls for a coherent framework to explain how vegetationshapes channel network geometry and functioning. Here, we introduce an idealized model that shows how coastal wetland vegetation creates more complexly branching networks by increasing the ratio of channel incisionversus topographic diffusion rates, thereby amplifying the channelizationfeedback that recursively incises finer-scale side-channels. This complex-ification trend qualitatively agrees with and provides an explanation for fielddata presented here as well as in earlier studies. Moreover, our modeldemonstrates that a stronger biogeomorphic feedback leads to higher andmore densely vegetated marsh platforms and more extensive drainage networks. These findings may inspire future field research by raising thehypothesis that vegetation-induced self-organization enhances the stormsurge buffering capacity of coastal wetlands and their resilience under sealevel rise",

keywords = "ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE, ITC-GOLD",

author = "{Van de Vijsel}, {Roeland C.} and {van Belzen}, Jim and Bouma, {Tjeerd J.} and {van der Wal}, Daphne and Borsje, {Bas W.} and Stijn Temmerman and Loreta Cornacchia and Olivier Gourgue and {van de Koppel}, Johan",

note = "Funding Information: The research of RCvdV and JvdK was financially supported by the program “The New Delta” (project number 869.15.003) of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). JvB was supported by the Vlaams-Nederlandse Scheldecommissie (VNSC), project “Vegetation modelling HPP” (contract 3109 1805). TJB, LC and JvdK were supported by the project “Coping with deltas in transition” within the Programme of Strategic Scientific Alliances between China and the Netherlands (PSA), financed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), project no. PSA-SA-E − 02. Contribution by BWB to this publication was supported by the “Living on the Edge” project (with project number NWO 18924) of the NWO VIDI Talent Program, which is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). ST acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), grant no. G031620N. OG was supported by the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Marie Sk{\l}odowska-Curie Actions, global postdoctoral fellowship, grant no. 798222). The authors thank Adri Knuijt and Hans Malschaert for their technical support to enable simulations on the GPU, and thank Andrea D{\textquoteright}Alpaos, Henk M. Schuttelaars and Huib E. de Swart for valuable discussions about the model. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s).",

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doi = "10.1038/s41467-023-42731-3",

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volume = "14",

journal = "Nature communications",

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AU - Van de Vijsel, Roeland C.

AU - van Belzen, Jim

AU - Bouma, Tjeerd J.

AU - van der Wal, Daphne

AU - Borsje, Bas W.

AU - Temmerman, Stijn

AU - Cornacchia, Loreta

AU - Gourgue, Olivier

AU - van de Koppel, Johan

N1 - Funding Information: The research of RCvdV and JvdK was financially supported by the program “The New Delta” (project number 869.15.003) of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). JvB was supported by the Vlaams-Nederlandse Scheldecommissie (VNSC), project “Vegetation modelling HPP” (contract 3109 1805). TJB, LC and JvdK were supported by the project “Coping with deltas in transition” within the Programme of Strategic Scientific Alliances between China and the Netherlands (PSA), financed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), project no. PSA-SA-E − 02. Contribution by BWB to this publication was supported by the “Living on the Edge” project (with project number NWO 18924) of the NWO VIDI Talent Program, which is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). ST acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), grant no. G031620N. OG was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, global postdoctoral fellowship, grant no. 798222). The authors thank Adri Knuijt and Hans Malschaert for their technical support to enable simulations on the GPU, and thank Andrea D’Alpaos, Henk M. Schuttelaars and Huib E. de Swart for valuable discussions about the model. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Channel networks are key to coastal wetland functioning and resilience under climate change. Vegetation affects sediment and hydrodynamics in many different ways, which calls for a coherent framework to explain how vegetationshapes channel network geometry and functioning. Here, we introduce an idealized model that shows how coastal wetland vegetation creates more complexly branching networks by increasing the ratio of channel incisionversus topographic diffusion rates, thereby amplifying the channelizationfeedback that recursively incises finer-scale side-channels. This complex-ification trend qualitatively agrees with and provides an explanation for fielddata presented here as well as in earlier studies. Moreover, our modeldemonstrates that a stronger biogeomorphic feedback leads to higher andmore densely vegetated marsh platforms and more extensive drainage networks. These findings may inspire future field research by raising thehypothesis that vegetation-induced self-organization enhances the stormsurge buffering capacity of coastal wetlands and their resilience under sealevel rise

AB - Channel networks are key to coastal wetland functioning and resilience under climate change. Vegetation affects sediment and hydrodynamics in many different ways, which calls for a coherent framework to explain how vegetationshapes channel network geometry and functioning. Here, we introduce an idealized model that shows how coastal wetland vegetation creates more complexly branching networks by increasing the ratio of channel incisionversus topographic diffusion rates, thereby amplifying the channelizationfeedback that recursively incises finer-scale side-channels. This complex-ification trend qualitatively agrees with and provides an explanation for fielddata presented here as well as in earlier studies. Moreover, our modeldemonstrates that a stronger biogeomorphic feedback leads to higher andmore densely vegetated marsh platforms and more extensive drainage networks. These findings may inspire future field research by raising thehypothesis that vegetation-induced self-organization enhances the stormsurge buffering capacity of coastal wetlands and their resilience under sealevel rise

KW - ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE

KW - ITC-GOLD

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-023-42731-3

DO - 10.1038/s41467-023-42731-3

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 14

JO - Nature communications

JF - Nature communications

IS - 1

M1 - 7158

ER -

Vegetation controls on channel network complexity in coastal wetlands

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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Vegetation controls on channel network complexity in coastal wetlands - Dataset

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