Experiment-supported modeling of salt marsh establishment : Applying the Windows of opportunity concept to the Marconi pioneer salt marsh design

Worldwide, many projects are trying to create and restore salt marshes because of their ecological functions and their benefits for flood protection and erosion control. One of these projects is the Marconi pilot project that is planned in Delfzijl, The Netherlands. Its aim is to create a pioneer salt marsh and to obtain generally applicable knowledge about salt marsh creation by experimenting with different measures and designs. This thesis, done as part of the Marconi project, has the objective to determine under which conditions pioneer salt marsh vegetation can establish and how this knowledge can be applied in the design of the Marconi pioneer salt marsh. In short, this study showed that it is essential for the stability of the Marconi pioneer salt marsh pilot that measures are taken to dampen the waves. For successful salt marsh establishment, a wave height reduction of 50 percent is probably sufficient. Furthermore, this study used the data from the experiment to calibrate and improve the WoO framework, thereby providing valuable information for future building with nature projects.