Oyster Reefs as a Nature-Based Solution for Coastal Protection: An Experimental Study

Abstract Coastal regions, which are home to over 40% of the global population, are increasingly threatened by climate change effects, such as rising sea levels, storm surges and coastal erosion. Traditional hard engineering solutions, such as seawalls and breakwaters, help mitigate these risks but often lead to ecological degradation and require high maintenance. Nature-based solutions (NbS), such as oyster reefs, have emerged as sustainable alternatives that provide both ecological restoration and coastal protection. This study examines how the integration of oyster-covered artificial reef balls can attenuate wave energy under controlled laboratory conditions. We report on a comprehensive set of wave flume experiments, where we tested four different configurations: no reef balls, plain reef balls, and reef balls with low and high oyster densities. The results demonstrated a direct correlation between oyster density and wave attenuation. High-density oyster configurations reduced wave energy by up to 42%, significantly outperforming other setups, especially under high-energy wave conditions. The findings of this study highlight the potential of oyster reef balls for sustainable coastal protection and provide valuable insights for designing resilient coastal defense systems that can adapt to changing climate conditions.