Oscar Curet of FAU spearheaded research efforts that demonstrated mangrove vegetation provides a range of ecosystem benefits, such as reducing coastal erosion, removing harmful gases, and promoting biodiversity. Curet’s predictive erosion model considers the movement of sediments in mangrove roots.

“Roots that do not exceed the critical porosity for maximum energy dissipation may have adaptive benefits,” said Curet. “Increasing the mangrove species through pre-restoration grading can potentially increase the likelihood of decreasing erosion success, with a higher energy dissipation that increases the resistance of mangrove roots to the energy in tidal flows.”

• Oscar Curet