ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains raw data from field campaigns conducted in McKay Bay and Philippe Park (Tampa Bay, FL, USA), for the purpose of measuring changes in hydrodynamics across three shoreline types: (1) mangrove-vegetated, (2) non-vegetated with seawall, and (3) mangrove-vegetated with seawall. The measured absolute pressure and velocity time series files are provided for both project sites, as well as the recorded vegetation surveys. The absolute pressure was measured using Van Essen pressure transducers at 15-min intervals and the velocities were measured using Nortek Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers once every 2-min over a duration of 16 days at both "onshore" and "offshore" transect points. The transects were approximately 30 meters across shore.

ABSTRACT:

This database is a synthesis of information collected by the CLOSE-HABs initiative from the University of South Florida, University of Florida, the South Florida Water Management District, Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, and North Carolina State University. The initiative has been funded the Engineering Research and Development Center of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

ABSTRACT:

Densely populated coastlines around the world expose communities to hazards such as storm surge from tropical cyclones. Coastal wetlands have the potential to reduce flooding during tropical cyclones with their ability to attenuate storm surge and wave energy. Previous research demonstrated attenuation over tens of kilometers, but the benefits over narrow coastal fringes are still largely unquantified. In this study, we used a 2-D high resolution model to quantify the value that coastal wetlands serve for compound flood mitigation and indicate the potential role they may play during extreme weather events. To provide real context, we evaluated attenuation in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, during Hurricane Ian (2022), which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, costing over 150 human lives and over USD$112 billion in damages. The model, developed in Delft3D Flexible Mesh and coupled with the SWAN wave model, features an unstructured grid and an explicit and dynamic representation of frictional forces caused by vegetation structure (canopy height, diameter, and density). We compared inundation depths and water velocity magnitudes across four cross-shore transects under vegetated and non-vegetated scenarios and assessed structural damage costs. Our results show storm surge water levels are reduced 6 – 17% across vegetated transects while they would otherwise increase without vegetation, and coastal wetlands attenuate storm surge an average of 36% more than unvegetated shorelines. Coastal wetlands were also responsible for an estimated 0.9 km2 reduction in urban inundation extent and approximately USD$23 million reduction in structural damage costs in the harbor. While providing a real storm, geographical context, this study has much broader implications, as it addresses the urgent need to demonstrate the value of coastal wetlands as coastal hazards intensify globally with compounding climate change risks.