EPSP Connects Seminar

Nonlinear dynamics in river-, tide-, and wave-dominated ecosystems

Roeland van de Vijsel recently gave a seminar about his work as part of EPSP Connects, a monthly seminar series related to Earth & Planetary Surface Processes, one of the research fields of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The seminar can be viewed here:

Self-reinforcing feedbacks – such as those between water flow, morphology, and vegetation dynamics – can cause rapid and poorly reversible shifts in rivers, deltas, and coastal systems. In this talk, I will review key examples and mechanisms of such tipping points, followed by a discussion of how climate and land-use changes may affect the likelihood of regime shifts in river deltas around the world. The risk of rapid state shifts emphasizes the need for early warning indicators and strategies to prevent or reverse system degradation. I will present examples of such strategies, including remote sensing of tidal wetland resilience, the use of self-organization processes to protect wave-exposed coastlines, and the manipulation of flow and bedforms to reduce turbidity and flood risks in estuaries. A better understanding of the self-reinforcing feedbacks governing such systems will help increase their resilience under global change.