PUBLICATIONS Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface RESEARCH ARTICLE On salt marshes retreat: Experiments and modeling 10.1002/2013JF002967 toppling failures induced by wind waves Key Points: M. Bendoni1, S. Francalanci2, L. Cappietti1, and L. Solari1 • We carried out laboratory experiments on wind waves impact on salt marsh edge 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy, 2CERAFRI—Center of Research • We developed a model for the retreat of salt marshes due to toppling failures and Advanced Education for Hydrogeological Risk Prevention, Retignano di Stazzema, Lu, Italy • The theoretical model captures the observed salt marsh retreat Abstract Salt marshes are delicate ecosystems which are disappearing in many areas of the world, mainly due to increasing rates of sea level rise, subsidence, and anthropic pressure. The lateral erosion of the edge of salt marshes is one of the most important processes in determining changes in morphology, and wind waves Correspondence to: M. Bendoni, have a key role in this retreat. Lateral retreat occurs by means of several types of mass failure processes,
[email protected]fi.it typically cantilever, sliding, and toppling. In the literature, no mechanistic models for the description of toppling failure are available. In this study, we performed a set of experiments to quantify the pressure field Citation: and the hydrodynamic forcing induced by wind waves during toppling failures of unstable blocks on a salt Bendoni, M., S. Francalanci, L. Cappietti, marsh edge. We propose a model interpreting toppling failure based on the experimental evidence as well and L. Solari (2014), On salt marshes as on the physics of the system.