Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique

Published purpose

The use of natural ecosystems, such as coastal marshes, in coastal protection systems has been widely recognized as a potential sustainable and resilient alternative to “grey” coastal structures. However, the widespread implementation of these measures has been limited due to a lack of data regarding their viability. This project aims to address those limitations by performing a series of physical modelling experiments examining the dynamics of a representative Canadian marsh – and how the dynamics contribute to the attenuation of flooding and stabilisation of the coast. The experiments will be performed at the large wave canal at INRS using a live vegetated marsh, and will provide new information concerning the efficacy of Canadian marsh species as coastal shore protection. The results will also be used to validate small-scale models developed by the NRC, providing critical information regarding the viability of small-scale models in assessing nature-based designs. The combination of the large-scale and small-scale tests along with numerical modelling and field monitoring at pilot sites (components of a larger project led by NRC) will provide an important basis for the development of design guidance and standards for Canadian nature-based solutions.