Coastal Ecological Restoration: Techniques and Novel Approaches to Living Shorelines and Oyster Reef Construction

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Coastal Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 2935

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA
Interests: carbon dynamics; ecosystem services; landscape analysis and modeling; nutrient cycling; estuarine biogeochemistry; wetlands and aquatic systems

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Interests: wetland nutrient assimilation and storage processes; vegetative succession dynamics; wetland macrophyte ecophysiology; ecological engineering design using wetland processes to improve water quality; enhance ecological function of altered landscapes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastline ecological restoration is a critical endeavor aimed at revitalizing and preserving the natural ecosystems and habitats found along coastlines. The ecological and economic value of these habitats is significant, and thus there is an equally significant need to mitigate anthropogenic impacts to coastal ecosystems in many areas. Restoration of both ecosystem form and function is an increasingly prevalent activity in impacted coastal communities and can include shoreline stabilization, creative wave abatement technologies, and "engineering with nature" solutions to physical and biogeochemical stressors. The use of oyster reef construction and native vegetation plantings to protect from erosion and enhance living shorelines has become an effective mitigation strategy to address the variety of conditions found in coastal ecosystems.

This Special Issue welcomes research related, but not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Coastal ecological restoration;
  2. Novel approaches to living shorelines;
  3. Oyster reef construction and restoration techniques.

Dr. Todd Z. Osborne
Dr. Mark W. Clark
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coastal ecological restoration
  • living shorelines
  • oyster reef construction
  • restoration techniques

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 10471 KiB  
Article
Spatial and Temporal Variability in Oyster Settlement on Intertidal Reefs Support Site-Specific Assessments for Restoration Practices
by Shannon D. Kimmel, Hans J. Prevost, Alexandria Knoell, Pamela Marcum and Nicole Dix
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(5), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12050766 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 506
Abstract
As some of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, the declining condition and coverage of coastal habitats results in the loss of the myriad ecosystem services they provide. Due to the variability in physical and biological characteristics across sites, it is imperative [...] Read more.
As some of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, the declining condition and coverage of coastal habitats results in the loss of the myriad ecosystem services they provide. Due to the variability in physical and biological characteristics across sites, it is imperative to increase location-based information to inform local management projects, which will potentially help to reestablish functions of coastal habitats. Since oysters are often used in restoration projects, this study quantified spatial and temporal patterns in eastern oyster spat settlement in a bar-built estuary in northeast Florida, USA that is host to a robust population of intertidal oyster reefs. Spat settlement was found to occur from April to October with small peaks in the spring and large ones around September. Inter-annual differences in spat settlement were likely influenced by existing environmental conditions and heavily affected by large-scale events such as tropical cyclones. Variations in regional spat settlements are possibly driven by the residence times of the watersheds, the density of adult populations, and the location of the spat collectors. The results of this study illustrate place-based variability in oyster settlement patterns and underscore the importance of local monitoring for oyster resource management, restoration, and research. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4075 KiB  
Article
Mangroves as Coastal Protection for Restoring Low-Energy Waterfront Property
by Robert J. Weaver and Abigail L. Stehno
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(3), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12030470 - 9 Mar 2024
Viewed by 822
Abstract
Mangroves offer vital ecological advantages including air and water filtration, coastal and estuarine habitat provision, sediment stabilization, and wave energy dissipation. Their intricate root systems play a key role in safeguarding shorelines from tsunamis and erosive storms by dissipating wave energy. Moreover, mangroves [...] Read more.
Mangroves offer vital ecological advantages including air and water filtration, coastal and estuarine habitat provision, sediment stabilization, and wave energy dissipation. Their intricate root systems play a key role in safeguarding shorelines from tsunamis and erosive storms by dissipating wave energy. Moreover, mangroves shield against boat wakes and wind-waves, thus naturally bolstering shoreline defense. Wave dissipation is a function of forest width, tree diameter, and forest density. Restoration efforts of juvenile mangroves in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon (IRL) aim to reduce wave energy in areas vulnerable to erosion. Physical model testing of wave dissipation through mangroves is limited due to the complexity in representing the mangrove structure, where prop roots are non-uniform in both diameter and location. Previous studies have quantified wave-dissipating effects through the use of scaled and parameterized mangrove structures. This study measures the dissipation effects of live mangroves in a wave flume, forced by conditions representative of the IRL. These measurements are used to validate a parameterized dowel model. Error between wave attenuation factors for the live mangrove and dowel system was on average 2.5%. Validation of the modularized dowel system allowed for further parameterized testing to understand forest structure effects, such as sediment stabilization and wave attenuation. Maximum wave attenuation achieved in this study was 27–35% corresponding to a 40–60% reduction in wave energy depending on the configuration of the system. The wave reduction resulted in a 50–70% decrease in sediment erosion from the berm. The dowel tests indicate a target minimum thickness for mangrove root systems of 0.6 m for shoreline stabilization and restoration in the IRL. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2349 KiB  
Article
Benthic Colonization on New Materials for Marine Ecosystem Restoration in Porto Cesareo, Italy
by Carolina Bracho-Villavicencio, Helena Matthews-Cascon, Marc García-Durán, Xavier Vélez, Nicola Lago, Laura Busquier and Sergio Rossi
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(1), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12010169 - 16 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1283
Abstract
Suitable colonization materials are a pursued target in marine restoration programs. Known for making nutrients available while reducing pollutants and the risk of pathogens in terrestrial ecosystems, Biochar and Bioferment materials of organic origin were tested during a two-year experiment. We tested the [...] Read more.
Suitable colonization materials are a pursued target in marine restoration programs. Known for making nutrients available while reducing pollutants and the risk of pathogens in terrestrial ecosystems, Biochar and Bioferment materials of organic origin were tested during a two-year experiment. We tested the efficacy of these materials for restoration purposes through experimental concrete tiles treated with Biochar (B) and Bioferment (F) and tiles made of concrete, which were used as controls (Ct) for the colonization of marine organisms in the marine protected area of Porto Cesareo, Southern Italy (20 m depth). Tiles were monitored for photographs from October 2019 to September 2021. Initially, Biochar treatment presented a higher percentage of total benthic cover (81.23 ± 2.76, median ± SE), differing from Bioferment treatment and control tiles (45.65 ± 5.43 and 47.95 ± 3.69, respectively). Significant interaction between treatments and times suggests changes in community structure related to Polychaeta cover increase in Bioferment and control materials from the second monitoring time. Furthermore, the underwater instability of Bioferment on the tiles could explain the similarity with control tiles in marine organisms’ covers. Hence, Biochar is shown to be a material with optimal stability in seawater, demonstrating greater capacity for marine organisms’ colonization in less time compared to the other two materials. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop