Salt marshes put to test in wave flume

Can salt marshes serve as a natural solution for flood protection? Researchers of the project 'Living Dikes' transported 62 big blocks of salt marshes, containing soil and vegetation, from the coast of Friesland to the Delta Flume at Deltares. After four weeks of exposure to extreme waves, almost the entire salt marsh is still standing there. In order to keep the Netherlands well protected, our dykes need to withstand waves of up to four meters. This might mean that kilometres of dykes need to be raised. What has not been considered, is the effect of salt marshes. The concept is that vegetation aids in mitigating the impact of waves on man-made dykes by diminishing wave height and crucially, by stabilizing the soil in front of the dyke. However, due to limited data availability, the extent to which we can depend on salt marshes as integral components of flood protection systems remains uncertain.