Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics and Tsunami Impacts

Coastal ecosystems represent highly dynamic interfaces where physical forces, chemical gradients and biological communities interact over spatial and temporal scales. Wave action, tidal currents and freshwater inputs shape sediment transport and nutrient fluxes, supporting rich habitats such as mangroves, salt marshes and coral reefs. Tsunamis act as episodic agents of disturbance, redistributing sediments, altering seafloor topography and injecting nutrients into the water column. Such events can lead to acute changes in salinity, turbidity and light availability, with cascading effects on primary production, microbial assemblages and trophic networks. Over months to years, recovery trajectories vary according to the intensity of inundation, local geomorphology and the resilience of keystone species. Understanding how tsunamis reconfigure biogeochemical cycles and habitat structures is critical for coastal management, informing restoration efforts, hazard mitigation and sustainable use of marine resources worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent modelling efforts have quantified how high‐load riverine suspended sediment plumes influence coastal biogeochemistry during flood events. Simulations reveal two distinct regimes: under hypopycnal conditions, low‐density plumes spread over the sea surface, lowering salinity and enriching surface waters with nutrients, whereas hyperpycnal plumes dive beneath ambient seawater, carrying sediments and nutrients into deeper layers. These results demonstrate that accurate representation of suspended sediment properties is essential to predict nutrient distribution and salinity changes in coastal seas following extreme freshwater discharges.

Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics and Tsunami Impacts publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in coastal ecosystem dynamics and tsunami impacts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Hypopycnal plume: A buoyant riverine discharge that remains on the sea surface due to lower density. Hyperpycnal plume: A dense riverine flow that sinks beneath lighter seawater, transporting sediments at depth. Sediment resuspension: The process by which settled seabed particles are lifted into the water column by physical agitation. Remote sensing: The collection of environmental data from satellite or aerial sensors to monitor ocean-surface properties. Biogeochemical cycle: The circulation of chemical elements and compounds through biological, geological and chemical processes in ecosystems.

References

1. Biogeochemical impacts of flooding discharge with high suspended sediment on coastal seas: a modeling study for a microtidal open bay. Scientific Reports (2021).
2. Did tsunamis lead to changes in ocean properties? a revisit. Frontiers in Marine Science (2023).
3. Estimation of Changes in the Nutrient Release Rate from Sediments after a Tsunami by an Incubation Experiment. Water (2023).
4. Influence of oyster and seaweed cultivation facilities on coastal environment and eukaryote assemblages in Matsushima Bay, northeastern Honshu, Japan. Frontiers in Marine Science (2023).