Exploring The Influence Of Artificial Root Systems Modeled After Marram Grass (Ammophila Arenaria) On Dune Erosion

Abstract

Vegetated dune systems represent a remarkable landform along numerous coastal areas worldwide. They provide a valuable contribution to local ecosystems and coastal protection. The influence of vegetation on the stability of soils potentially counteracts erosion and, on sandy coasts under suitable conditions, leads to the accumulation of sediments driven by aeolian transport, resulting in dune formation (Feagin et al. 2015). The assessment of the coastal protection potential of dunes is far from being a streamlined, mature procedure, and it will demand more parameters than merely the dunes’ height, dimensions or volume, but tentatively also their vegetation coverage. Artificial dunes or dunes regenerated through sand nourishment often lack additional substrate stabilization since no vegetation bound root systems are present (Nordstrom and Jackson 2022). The role of stabilizing root components in the overall dune body matrix is currently not well understood, in particular, when highly dynamic processes such as wave attack is involved. The hypothesis of this novel work hence is that root systems of dune grass (i.e., A. arenaria) can be quantified for the modelling in experimental campaigns and for more reliable erosion results. To investigate this hypothesis novel physical experiments are currently conducted in the wave flume at the Leichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources in Braunschweig (Germany), testing different root surrogate materials and quantities for the first time.