9:00 am Niels Lindquist Applying fundamentals of estuarine ecology and a novel biodegradable hardscape to enhance coastal resilience.
“Collaborative IMS-led studies of fundamental ecological processes controlling the health and growth of estuarine habitat foundation species, including oysters and saltmarsh plants, underpinned the invention of a patent-pending biodegradable hardscape broadly useful for protecting and restoring oyster and saltmarsh habitats that are critically important for coastal environmental, economic and social resilience in the age of accelerating global change impacts.”
9:20 Molly Bost Does the intertidal oyster reef optimal growth zone vary among tidal regimes?
“There is no one project design that maximizes restored oyster-reef growth rates everywhere because as tidal range increases, the elevation window where oyster reefs grow most rapidly (the optimal growth zone) decreases and expands.”
9:40 Carson Miller Examining saltmarsh transgression across upland-forest gradients to improve conservation.
“Fringing saltmarsh along high-gradient upland topography is commonly younger than AD 1950, shows little landward migration, and requires some type of erosion-control structure to maintain areal extent.  Fringing saltmarsh along low-gradient upland topography migrates landward with sea-level rise and that upland-saltmarsh boundary should not be developed if conservation of saltmarsh-area is an objective”
10:00 Jana Haddad A process-based model to predict wave attenuation across marshes.
“Use of natural and nature based solutions for coastal and estuarine shorelines requires the ability to predict how a vegetation canopy reduces wave energy reaching the shore. We have developed a model of wave transformation through a marsh canopy that predicts wave energy reduction of an existing marsh and can be used to better understand how different vegetation characteristics contribute to that energy reduction. “
10:20 Jessie Straub Analysis of predicted dune erosion along North Carolina barrier island shorelines.
“Accurately predicating dune erosion along the beaches of North Carolina is important because dunes provide natural protection to coastal communities from storm waves and flooding. This collaborative research shows the ADCIRC+SWAN model can be used to predict wave runup and dune erosion along the coast, while providing insights into the challenges associated with accurately predicting dune erosion.”

 

Group discussion 15 min- Tony Rodriguez