EGU23-13835, updated on 24 Jul 2023

https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13835
EGU General Assembly 2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Modeling flow and sediment dynamics in an estuarine mangrove

forest and adjacent areas: the impact of mangrove forest dynamics
on landscape evolution
Masaya Yoshikai1, Takashi Nakamura1, Ariel Blanco2, Bryan Hernandez2, Eugene Herrera2,
Charissa Ferrera2, Francoise Almarza2, William Dimalanta2, Ryan Basina3, Gia Albano2, Rene
Rollon2, Rempei Suwa4, Raghab Ray5, Yasmin Primavera-Tirol3, Maria Lourdes San Diego-McGlone2,
and Kazuo Nadaoka1
1
Tokyo Institute of Technology, School of Environment and Society, Japan
2
University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines
3
Aklan State University, Philippines
4
Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Japan
5
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Mangroves, a coastal wetland ecosystem with complex above-ground root systems, are known to
modulate flow and sediment transport and promote sedimentation – processes that could drive
the long-term geomorphic evolution of mangrove forests. However, insights on how and to what
extent mangrove forests impact the sedimentary processes and evolution of landscapes and their
adjacent areas are limited. This study aims to address these challenges by using a hydrodynamic-
sediment transport model and contribute to understanding the effective restoration and
management of mangrove forests under the impact of climate change effects such as sea-level
rise. A new model was developed to represent the impacts of species-specific three-dimensional
root structures (e.g., “prop roots” of Rhizophora species and “pencil roots” of Avicennia and
Sonneratia species) on flow and sediment transport and implemented in a hydrodynamic-
sediment transport model. This model was applied to a restored estuarine mangrove forest in the
Philippines influenced by tidal and fluvial processes. The results show the significant impacts of
mangroves on the sedimentation of fluvially-transported sediments in the mangrove forest and
nearby areas, which contributed to the areal expansion of the mangrove forest. In addition, due to
the increased hydraulic resistance of the mangrove forest following restoration, significant
amounts of river flow and sediment discharge are diverted to the other tributary, decreasing the
sediment supply downstream of the mangrove forest, a phenomenon that could possibly explain
the trend in sediment loss in the area. These results suggest the significance of mangrove forests
in driving landscape evolution, not only within the mangrove forest itself but also in adjacent
areas, highlighting the importance of considering these areas as a connected system for the
management and restoration of mangrove forests.

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