Abstract Interest and investment in constructing living shorelines rather than harder engineering structures are on the rise worldwide. However, the performance of these interventions in rejuvenating coastal habitats, depositing fine sediments with elevated organic content, and reducing erosion varies widely and is often low along energetic shorelines. In this study, we test the efficacy of a living shoreline design that couples breakwalls and oyster restoration structures, in protecting coastal estuarine ecosystems and their services along energetic shorelines. A field experiment was conducted between 2015 and 2019 along a section of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in northeast Florida, which experiences commercial and recreational vessel traffic. We discovered that organic matter, silt and clay content all increased in sediments collected in the living shorelines compared to paired control treatments. In addition, oysters established and developed into robust reefs on the gabions – wire cages filled with seasoned oyster shells - that were used to facilitate oyster recovery within this living shorelines design, although oyster growth was highest where the gabions were placed at lower intertidal elevations. Additionally, salt marsh cordgrass along shoreline margins protected by the living shoreline structures remained stable or began advancing toward the Intracoastal Waterway channel at rates of ~1 m per year, whereas cordgrass in control treatments retreated at rates approaching 2 m per year. This study provides powerful evidence that vessel wake stress is indeed driving ecosystem loss and that simple nature-based living shoreline structures designed to dissipate this energy can slow or reverse ecosystem decline. More research is needed to optimize these nature-based solutions for shoreline protection in coastal and estuarine settings, and to improve their durability.

中文翻译：

---

将防波堤与牡蛎修复结构相结合，提高了充满活力的海岸线的生活海岸线性能

摘要 在世界范围内，人们对建造有生命力的海岸线而不是更硬的工程结构的兴趣和投资正在增加。然而，这些干预措施在振兴沿海栖息地、沉积有机物含量较高的精细沉积物和减少侵蚀方面的表现差异很大，并且沿着充满活力的海岸线通常较低。在这项研究中，我们测试了结合防波堤和牡蛎修复结构的活海岸线设计在保护沿海河口生态系统及其沿充满活力的海岸线的服务方面的功效。2015 年至 2019 年期间，沿着佛罗里达州东北部大西洋内陆航道的一段进行了实地试验，该段经历了商业和休闲船只的交通。我们发现有机物，与配对的对照处理相比，在生活海岸线收集的沉积物中的淤泥和粘土含量都增加了。此外，牡蛎在石笼上建立并发展成坚固的珊瑚礁——装满经验丰富的牡蛎壳的铁丝网笼——用于促进这种生活海岸线设计内的牡蛎恢复，尽管在石笼网放置在较低潮间带高度的地方牡蛎生长最高。此外，沿海岸线边缘受活体海岸线结构保护的盐沼草本植物保持稳定或开始以每年约 1 m 的速度向内陆航道推进，而对照处理中的草科草以每年接近 2 m 的速度后退。这项研究提供了强有力的证据，表明船舶尾流压力确实会导致生态系统丧失，并且旨在消散这种能量的简单的基于自然的生活海岸线结构可以减缓或逆转生态系统的衰退。需要更多的研究来优化这些基于自然的解决方案，以在沿海和河口环境中保护海岸线，并提高它们的耐用性。