Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America.
Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 26;19(8):e0302395. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302395. eCollection 2024.
Barrier islands provide a first line of defense against ocean flooding and storm surge. Biogeomorphic interactions are recognized as important in coastal system processes, but current barrier island models are primarily dominated by physical processes. Recent research has demonstrated different biogeomorphic states that influence response to sea level rise and other disturbance. Building on this understanding, we present a cellular model utilizing biotic and abiotic processes and their interactions for barrier island evolution. Using the literature and field derived parameters, we model barrier island evolution and compare to three decades of change for Smith Island, a Virginia Coast Reserve barrier island. We conduct simulations that show the impact of biogeomorphic states on island migration under different sea level rise scenarios. We find that migration is highest in areas with low topography and light vegetation cover (i.e. disturbance reinforcing) compared to areas with greater topographic complexity and high cover of woody vegetation i.e. disturbance resisting). This study demonstrates the importance of biogeomorphic interactions for barrier island evolution with sea level rise and will aid future predictions for these important ecosystems with climate change.
障壁岛为抵御海洋洪水和风暴潮提供了第一道防线。生物地貌相互作用被认为是海岸系统过程中的重要因素，但当前的障壁岛模型主要由物理过程主导。最近的研究表明，不同的生物地貌状态会影响对海平面上升和其他干扰的响应。基于这一认识，我们提出了一种利用生物和非生物过程及其相互作用的细胞模型，用于障壁岛的演化。利用文献和实地推导的参数，我们对弗吉尼亚海岸储备障壁岛史密斯岛进行了 30 多年的变化建模，并比较了模型。我们进行了模拟，以显示在不同的海平面上升情景下，生物地貌状态对岛屿迁移的影响。我们发现，与地形复杂、木质植被覆盖率高的地区相比（即抗干扰），低地形和轻植被覆盖的地区（即强化干扰）的迁移率更高。这项研究表明了生物地貌相互作用对于海平面上升下障壁岛演化的重要性，并将有助于未来对这些重要生态系统与气候变化相关的预测。
