Pinpointing the role of wave period in vegetation induced wave attenuation

Nature-based coastal protection that integrates vegetated wetlands for wave attenuation and erosion mitigation shows great potential. However, there is a lack of consensus on whether longer wave periods contribute to an increase or a reduction in the attenuation of waves in vegetated wetlands, which is primarily due to the disregard of vegetation submersion states. In the current study, we modified a classic model to pinpoint the conditional role of the period. Wave attenuation by vegetation is quantified as the product of two terms: wave decay rate and time of wave group travel through a unit length. By tracing the dynamics of these two terms, the model is in good agreement with the measurements and can well explain why wave attenuation increased with longer period (from 2 to 10 s) in submerged canopies (up to 10 times) but decreased in emergent canopies (by 75%). A maximum response period (2–10 s) was found, beyond which period has no effect on wave attenuation. Furthermore, we found that in field conditions, the variation in wave period can lead to a sharp reduction in wave dissipation. which is critical for coastal safety. For instance, a 62% decrease in wave period at Galveston Island corresponded to a 40% drop in wave dissipation. This work provides a comprehensive understanding on the role of wave period in wave dissipation by wetland vegetation, which would assist in safely implementing wetlands for coastal defence.