Newton Fund: Applying nature-based coastal defence to the world's largest urban area - from science to practice

项目摘要：以自然为基础的沿海防御解决方案日益被认为是应对气候变化的传统工程方法的更可持续的替代办法。在正在经历快速城市化的三角洲地区，应用基于自然的解决方案可能会导致与其他土地用途的空间竞争，例如填海造地。对于优化管理，基于自然的解决方案需要多少空间的问题很重要。然而，我们目前的知识在依赖于生态系统大小的防御价值和弹性方面是不够的。此外，我们对用于海防的生态系统创建缺乏洞察力，因为以前的恢复工作成功率很低。当前的提案旨在以世界上最大的城市地区珠江三角洲的中国为模型系统，建立基于过程的理解和预测模型，了解生态系统规模需求，以及如何为海防创建生态系统。在气候变化和填海造地的不同情景下，将进行三角洲尺度的红树林面积监测和水动力模拟，以研究湿地面积的变化和防御生态系统空间的优化。这项大规模的研究也将为局部尺度的实验和模拟提供基础边界条件。将使用新型仪器进行一系列实验，以提高我们对影响红树林保护价值和横向动态的过程的洞察力。使用疏浚材料和牡蛎礁促进红树林建立的创新措施也将进行实验测试。当地尺度的模型将结合所获得的实验知识来预测红树林的生物地貌动态，并为管理提供指导。开发的模型和知识将直接应用于与我们的合作伙伴合作的生态堤防试点项目的设计中。英国申请者对该项目的建议贡献摘要：研究的重点是海岸带管理，包括泥沙管理和基于自然的防洪。英国申请者将领导工作任务1：湿地区域监测/水动力模型。这项工作将概述珠江三角洲的生物物理条件，包括形态和土地利用方面及其区域环境。英国团队将为珠江三角洲实施一个用于水动力、波浪和泥沙输送的高分辨率非结构网格模式(FVCOM)，该模式将提供大尺度大气和海洋边界条件与我们的荷兰和中国合作伙伴将进行的小尺度过程研究和生态系统建模之间的接口。我们还将处理重点领域1(弹性城市规划和管理)中的一些目标，通过优化土地使用、机构和机制以实现更可持续的城市化、探索生态动态设计方案以作为城市发展过程的一部分为自然提供机会、减少城市足迹和开发绩效评估系统以减轻环境影响，从而将空间规划和灾害管理结合起来。我们将探索应用管理决策工具的机会，例如EPSRC ARCoES项目中最近开发的那些工具。

Project Summary:Nature-based coastal defence solutions have increasingly been recognized as more sustainable alternatives to conventional engineering approaches against climate change. In deltas undergoing fast urbanization, applying nature-based solutions can lead to space competition with other land uses, e.g. land-reclamations. For optimized management, the question of how much space is required by nature-based solutions is important. However, our current knowledge is insufficient in ecosystem size-dependent defence-value and resilience. Additionally, we are lacking insights into ecosystem creation for coastal defence, as previous restoration efforts have suffered low success rates.The current proposal aims to develop process-based understanding and predictive models of ecosystem size requirements and how to create ecosystems for coastal defence, using the world's largest urban area, Pearl River Delta, China, as a model system. Delta-scale mangrove area monitoring and hydrodynamic modelling will be conducted to study wetland area changes and optimization of ecosystem spaces for defence, under contrasting scenarios of climate change and land-reclamations.This large-scaled study will also provide underpinning boundary conditions for local-scaled experiments and modelling. A set of experiments using novel instruments will be conducted to improve our insights on the processes influencing mangrove defence-value and lateral dynamics. Innovative measures of using dredging materials and oyster reefs to facilitate mangrove establishment will also be tested experimentally. Local-scaled models will incorporate the obtained experimental knowledge to predict mangrove biogeomorphic dynamics and provide guidelines for management. The developed models and knowledge will be directly applied in the design of a pilot eco-dike project in collaboration with our partners.Summary of the UK applicants' proposed contribution to the project:The focus of the study is on coastal zone management, including management of sediment and nature-based flood defence. The UK applicants will lead Work Task 1: Wetland area monitoring/hydrodynamic modelling. This work task will provide an over-view of the bio-physical conditions, including the morphological and land-use aspects of the Pearl River Delta and its regional setting. The UK team will implement a high resolution unstructured-grid model (FVCOM) for the Pearl River Delta (PRD) for hydrodynamics, waves and sediment transport which will provide the interface between the larger scale atmospheric and oceanic boundary conditions and the smaller-scale process studies and ecosystem modelling to be carried out by our Dutch and Chinese partners. We will also address some objectives within focus area 1 (Resilient urban planning and management) in terms of combining spatial planning and disaster management by optimizing land use, institutions and mechanisms for more sustainable urbanisation, exploring eco-dynamic design options to provide opportunities for nature as part of urban development processes and reducing urban footprints and developing performance evaluation systems to mitigate environmental impacts. We will explore opportunities to apply management decision tools, such as those recently developed in the EPSRC ARCoES project.