As core members of the Hydralab+ RESIST project we met for the first time in person at the FZK’s large wave flume facility (GWK) to discuss the challenge of preparing all of our 75(!) europallet-sized sediment and plant containers to be ready for the experimental runs in August this year. The challenge is enormous, but so is our enthusiasm…
Especially Tjeerd was so fascinated by the flume, its dimensions and possibilities that he kept sneaking away from the meeting and we constantly wondered: Where is Tjeerd?
And on that basis, we believe that we can achieve what we set out to do: to detect the wave energy thresholds beyond which seedlings and mature plants are damaged and/or removed from the tidal flats upon which they have become established during less stressful times. Knowing those thresholds will allow the people who look after our coastal communities, properties, and ecosystems, to plan better for the future. And who knows, perhaps we will also be able to find out how we can support plants during their early life stages, e.g. through placing biodegradable protection on the tidal flat until the plants are strong enough to withstand the highest storm surge…