In a recent study, a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) focused on evaluating how emergent coastal vegetation acts as a natural barrier against the impact of tsunamis.
- Researchers have said that if the myriad natural barriers along the India’s coastline, including mangroves, did not exist, destruction by tsunami and coastal floods could have been more.
- Constructing sea walls is possible, but they are expensive and may disrupt natural processes.
- Emergent vegetation is aquatic plants rooted in the soil, while their stems, leaves and flowers emerge above the surface of water. Mangroves are emergent trees with sturdy submerged roots, stiff stems, and trunks to reduce wave forces.
(Source: The Hindu)
