Long-term assessments are critical to determining persistence and shoreline protection from oyster reef nature-based coastal defenses

Peyre, Megan K. La; Buie, Sarah Catherine L.; Rossi, Ryann E.; Roberts, Brian J.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106603

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In a review by Smith et al [7], the authors found that the living shoreline literature is dominated by studies of projects < 5 years old, with uneven geographic coverage. However, the somewhat longer history of oyster reef restoration suggests that the protective function of oysters is complex and context-dependent; therefore, the best configurations for shoreline stabilization are still emerging [14][15][16][17]. Furthermore, changes in the surrounding ecosystem due to factors such as climate change, land development, and storm disturbance complicate efforts to understand the drivers of project success or failure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors have called for more research on the long-term trajectories of constructed reefs, especially in areas outside of the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, where much of the early oyster research occurred [7,17,37]. In addition, there is still a considerable amount to learn about the effects on the sedimentary environment, both as an indicator of physical energy and as a potential carbon sequestration site.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Controls on Surface and Downcore Sedimentary Organic Matter in a Constructed Oyster Reef

Southwell,

Veenstra,

Blanco

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Oysters provide a suite of important ecosystem services, and recent research shows that oyster restoration rapidly enhances sedimentary organic carbon deposition. In 2012, an oyster reef enhancement project began in the GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve in Northeast FL, USA. We analyzed the spatial and downcore variability in sedimentary organic matter (OM) and particle sizes in the intertidal zone between the reefs and the marsh, along with oyster reef characteristics, to better understand physical and/or biological influences on sediment. Our data indicate that OM in the top 20 cm of sediment cores was negatively correlated with reef age. Similar decreases in particles <63 μm suggest remobilization of sediment, likely driven by the degradation of the reef structure over its approximately 9-year lifetime. Likewise, a survey of surface sediments showed that adjacent reef structural metrics were the best predictor of sediment OM and particle size. These results highlight the importance of reef structure as a control on sedimentary organic carbon deposition and stability in areas where physical energy is relatively high. This result is discussed in the context of implications for carbon budgets and biogeochemical ecosystem services of oysters as a part of living shorelines.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controls on Surface and Downcore Sedimentary Organic Matter in a Constructed Oyster Reef

Southwell,

Veenstra,

Blanco

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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show abstract

“…Oyster aquaculture does not require any human input of food or medicines and has several positive effects on the marine environment, such as water filtration and shoreline stabilization [4,5]. Oysters can remove nutrients by filtering microbial particles or phytoplankton and increase the fluxes of nutrients and organic carbon to sediments [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergy Synthesis of Two Oyster Aquaculture Systems in Zhejiang Province, China

Cheng

Zhao

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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China is rich in oyster resources and has a long history of oyster aquaculture. Various forms of oyster aquaculture coexist in the coastal regions of China, which are dominated by raft aquaculture and long-line aquaculture. The objective of this study is to assess the environmental sustainability of the oyster aquaculture systems located in Jiantiao Bay, Zhejiang province, China. Emergy synthesis is used in the study to quantify the contributions of the natural and economic inputs to the oyster aquaculture systems, in order to better understand the sustainability. The results show that the raft oyster aquaculture system was high in emergy inputs and yield per unit area, whereas the long-line oyster aquaculture system was low in emergy inputs and yield per unit area. However, the transformities of the oysters from the raft oyster aquaculture system and the long-line aquaculture were similar, reflecting that both systems had a similar efficiency in using natural and economic resources. The oyster aquaculture systems had a different impact on the environment as inferred from the emergy indicators. The higher emergy yield ratio and low emergy loading ratio in the long-line oyster aquaculture system suggest that the system could gain more net benefit, and had a lower impact on the surrounding environment, than raft oyster aquaculture system, and can been considered to be more sustainable. Nevertheless, oyster aquaculture was a labor-intensive process and relied highly on purchased resources, such as labor and construction materials. If the construction materials could be used for a longer time, the oyster aquaculture systems might be more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

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Scientific basis, engineering feasibility and system optimization of green sea dykes for temperate mud coasts: a brief overview

Yu,

Jia,

Gao

2024

Anthropocene Coasts

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Green sea dykes, also known as ecosystem-based sea dykes, represent a novel type of coastal defense consisting of both traditional structural engineering and coastal ecosystems, designed to cope with the future trends of sea level rise and intensified storms. Here we focus on the mid-latitude mud coasts (eastern China in particular), which face the most prominent risks of storm surge, storm-induced giant waves, and shoreline erosion, and summarizes the scientific basis of green sea dykes and the current status of engineering practices. We show that the basic mechanisms of nearshore wave energy dissipation include bottom friction, sediment transport, and form drag. These explain the wave damping capacity of oyster reefs and salt marshes on mud coasts. In tidal flat environments, oyster growth increases frictional resistance and even causes wave breaking; the resuspension and transport of fine-grained sediments on salt marsh beds and the movement or resistance to hydrodynamic forcing of salt marsh vegetation stems effectively dissipate wave kinetic energy, and their efficiency increases with the elevation of the bed surface. Based on the wave damping capacity of oyster reefs and salt marshes on mud coasts, ecosystem-based sea dykes are being built in combination with traditional structured sea dykes. By utilizing natural tidal flats outside the dykes or implementing artificial modification projects, a certain scale of salt marshes and/or oyster reefs can be maintained, which serve to protect the sea dykes and enhance their wave resistance functions. From the perspective of system optimization, it is necessary to further improve the efficiency and sustainability of green sea dykes under constraints such as regional environment characteristics, ecosystem health, investment capacity, and ecological resilience. Related scientific issues include the theorization of the wave damping process of salt marshes, the niche and scale control of oyster reef and salt marsh ecosystems, the establishment of engineering standards and the design of the optimal form of sea dykes.

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Long-term assessments are critical to determining persistence and shoreline protection from oyster reef nature-based coastal defenses

Cited by 6 publications

References 56 publications

Controls on Surface and Downcore Sedimentary Organic Matter in a Constructed Oyster Reef

Controls on Surface and Downcore Sedimentary Organic Matter in a Constructed Oyster Reef

Emergy Synthesis of Two Oyster Aquaculture Systems in Zhejiang Province, China

Scientific basis, engineering feasibility and system optimization of green sea dykes for temperate mud coasts: a brief overview

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