Healthy wetlands could protect coast

DURHAM, N.C., March 28 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say coastal wetlands should be able to adjust to rising ocean levels as long as plants and sediment remain intact.

The Duke University study, published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says the tidal marshes that "nurture marine life and reduce storm damage along coastlines" will survive climate change if "their vegetation isn't damaged and their supplies of upstream sediment aren't reduced," the university said in a release.

Using a 3-D computer model, researchers found that vegetation and sediments can meld into living "platforms" that adjust to changing water levels.

"With a steady, moderate rise in sea level, the model builds a marsh platform and channel network (that rises) with the rate of sea-level rise, meaning water depths and biological productivity remain temporarily constant," said A. Brad Murray, associate professor of geomorphology and coastal processes at Duke. "If the vegetation is intact, it holds the system in place and enhances the trapping of sediments and tends to minimize the erosion."