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Earth

Coastal wetlands 'a washout' against storm surges

By Devin Powell

15 October 2008

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine. — Observation boardwalk in a salt marsh, at low tide, in Cape Cod, USA
(Image: scol22, stock.xchng)

THE long-held belief that coastal wetlands help shield communities from flooding during hurricanes has been called into question, casting doubt on one of the benefits of restoring wetlands.

In 1964, the US Army Corps of Engineers estimated that tropical storm surges lose about 7 centimetres in height for every kilometre they travel over coastal wetlands. This rule of thumb has since been cited extensively by government and advocacy groups to support the case for regenerating wetlands in Louisiana, which has lost over 5000 square…

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