New computer model shows that plants and animals change coastal landscape on a large-scale

Plants and animals, such as vegetation, algae and worms, have an enormous influence on the development of our coastal landscapes, as shown by a new computer model. These species affect their environment by slowing down currents and stabilising sand and mud. Despite the small sizes of these species, the model shows that they can change the shape of entire landscapes. PhD student Muriel Brückner, who developed this new computer model, showed for the first time how a combination of different organisms shapes entire coastal landscapes, and how we can potentially use them to mitigate future climate change.

While small worms and crabs promote the erosion of coastlines vegetation and algae can stabilize sand and mud, which affects the shape of coasts and how they are flooded. These effects are especially important in the face of climate change, which threatens safety and health of coastal populations through increasing storms and sea level rise. To improve coastal protection, we need to better understand how species influence the evolution of the coast. "With the new model, flood risk and coastal change can be better predicted," explains Brückner. "The computer model has been published open source, which means that the model can be used by everyone. Therefore scientists and policy makers can use the model to describe the mutual interactions between ecosystems and the environment, and find solutions for future coastal management. Possibly, we can use plants and animals to counteract the effects of climate change, for example, by promoting species that have a positive effect on stabilising the coastline. Their effects can help raise the land and reduce erosion."

In addition to providing insights for the current and future evolution of coasts, this model also allows one to look back in time. The model shows that species started to influence coastal landscapes already when the land was colonised by algae and plants, some 524 million years ago. This novel finding can help explain the past formation of coasts that led to our landscapes today.