Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem services

Wave attenuation by vegetation, such as in salt marshes or on coastal dunes, is an environmentally friendly measure for erosion control and coastal protection. A particular factor here is the seasonal variation, both on the plant side and on the wave side. Plants have different mechanical properties...

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Main Authors: Qiyue Liu, Jintian Liu, Steven Kutschke, Viktoria Kosmalla, David Schürenkamp, Nils Goseberg, Markus Böl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Forces in Mechanics
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666359725000095
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author Qiyue Liu
Jintian Liu
Steven Kutschke
Viktoria Kosmalla
David Schürenkamp
Nils Goseberg
Markus Böl
author_facet Qiyue Liu
Jintian Liu
Steven Kutschke
Viktoria Kosmalla
David Schürenkamp
Nils Goseberg
Markus Böl
author_sort Qiyue Liu
collection DOAJ
description Wave attenuation by vegetation, such as in salt marshes or on coastal dunes, is an environmentally friendly measure for erosion control and coastal protection. A particular factor here is the seasonal variation, both on the plant side and on the wave side. Plants have different mechanical properties and physiology (including morphology, cellular and molecular characteristics) depending on the season. Mechanical experiments are essential to better evaluate the erosion protection provided by coastal vegetation depending on the season, and to generate mechanical properties for corresponding simulations that can predict the vegetation’s resistance to waves, which in turn would enable optimised planting. For this purpose, different bending experiments were performed on salt marsh culm sections collected at different times in the year. Based on the cross-sectional morphology and force–deflection curves, the non-linear structural and material behaviour of the culm section is obtained using the inverse finite element method. The results show that the upper part of the grass culm behaves much more softly than the middle and lower parts, while the culm has a much stiffer material behaviour in winter (March) than in summer (June and September). In addition, this study found a negative correlation between Young’s modulus and second moment of inertia, suggesting an adaptive trade-off between structural and material properties under different growth conditions. The data obtained are important for a general understanding of the seasonal behaviour of salt marsh vegetation. On the other hand, they are particularly valuable for modelling of coastal erosion, vegetation patches or culm-fluid interactions.
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spelling doaj-art-e9a41065aaff44dc8944598b8646888c2025-08-20T03:45:28ZengElsevierForces in Mechanics2666-35972025-05-011910031310.1016/j.finmec.2025.100313Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem servicesQiyue Liu0Jintian Liu1Steven Kutschke2Viktoria Kosmalla3David Schürenkamp4Nils Goseberg5Markus Böl6Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106, GermanyInstitute of Mechanics and Adaptronics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106, GermanyInstitute of Mechanics and Adaptronics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106, GermanyLeichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106, GermanyLeichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106, GermanyLeichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106, Germany; Coastal Research Center, Joint Institution of Leibniz University Hannover and Technische Universität Braunschweig, Hannover D-30419, GermanyInstitute of Mechanics and Adaptronics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106, Germany; Corresponding author.Wave attenuation by vegetation, such as in salt marshes or on coastal dunes, is an environmentally friendly measure for erosion control and coastal protection. A particular factor here is the seasonal variation, both on the plant side and on the wave side. Plants have different mechanical properties and physiology (including morphology, cellular and molecular characteristics) depending on the season. Mechanical experiments are essential to better evaluate the erosion protection provided by coastal vegetation depending on the season, and to generate mechanical properties for corresponding simulations that can predict the vegetation’s resistance to waves, which in turn would enable optimised planting. For this purpose, different bending experiments were performed on salt marsh culm sections collected at different times in the year. Based on the cross-sectional morphology and force–deflection curves, the non-linear structural and material behaviour of the culm section is obtained using the inverse finite element method. The results show that the upper part of the grass culm behaves much more softly than the middle and lower parts, while the culm has a much stiffer material behaviour in winter (March) than in summer (June and September). In addition, this study found a negative correlation between Young’s modulus and second moment of inertia, suggesting an adaptive trade-off between structural and material properties under different growth conditions. The data obtained are important for a general understanding of the seasonal behaviour of salt marsh vegetation. On the other hand, they are particularly valuable for modelling of coastal erosion, vegetation patches or culm-fluid interactions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666359725000095Experimental characterisationSalt marshElymus repens/elymus athericusEcosystem servicesCoastal protectionMechanical modelling
spellingShingle Qiyue Liu
Jintian Liu
Steven Kutschke
Viktoria Kosmalla
David Schürenkamp
Nils Goseberg
Markus Böl
Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem services
Forces in Mechanics
Experimental characterisation
Salt marsh
Elymus repens/elymus athericus
Ecosystem services
Coastal protection
Mechanical modelling
title Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem services
title_full Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem services
title_fullStr Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem services
title_full_unstemmed Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem services
title_short Seasonal mechanical behaviour of Elymus spec. for the assessment of ecosystem services
title_sort seasonal mechanical behaviour of elymus spec for the assessment of ecosystem services
topic Experimental characterisation
Salt marsh
Elymus repens/elymus athericus
Ecosystem services
Coastal protection
Mechanical modelling
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666359725000095
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