Drs. Charlotte Taelman
Terrestrial Ecology Unit
Department of Biology
Ghent University
K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35
9000 Gent Belgium
E-mail: charlotte.taelman@ugent.be
Plant-sand interactions in coastal dunes for the design of nature-based solutions
Coastal foredunes are of international biodiversity value and form the primary natural line of defense against rising sea levels and extreme flooding events. In many coastal areas worldwide, natural dune habitats have been cleared or fragmented due to increased urbanization and human interference. In these locations, coastal protection is usually secured through engineered, costly, hard infrastructures, such as dikes and seawalls. Recently however, there has been a gradual shift in coastal defense infrastructures from rigid, concrete structures towards green (soft) implementations based on natural processes (building dunes using sand-fixating vegetation). These nature-based solutions (NbS) are considered promising alternatives to tackle the consequences of sea level rise and increased storm intensity. The construction of these engineered dunes however requires a fundamental understanding of the complex (ecological) interactions which steer dune development. As a result, there is increased collaboration between interdisciplinary researchers for the collection of data and optimization of our understanding of these coastal NbS.
Coastal dunes develop from interactions between sand fluxes and plant growth, which in return are affected by tides and waves, winds, and spatial heterogeneity in microclimates. The outcome of all relationships is ecologically complex and often difficult to predict. In my research, I investigate how coastal embryo dunes and foredunes develop as a function of aeolian sand fluxes, plant cover, plant traits, and their spatial distribution. This is done through extensive field surveys, experiments, and remote sensing.
My research lines
- The physical boundary conditions on the high beach which allow settlement and establishment of strandline vegetation, for the initiation of embryo dunes.
- Quantification of species-specific sand accumulations through time series in the field.
- The microclimate/environment in dunes (T, moist, nutrients), and its influence on germination and development of several species of dune plants on the Belgian coast.
- The impact of storms on the dune front resilience, resistance, and the restoring impact of dune vegetation.
