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Coastal wetlands reduce property damage during tropical cyclones.


ABSTRACT: Coastal wetlands dampen the impact of storm surge and strong winds. Studies on the economic valuation of this protective service provided by wetland ecosystems are, however, rare. Here, we analyze property damage caused by 88 tropical storms and hurricanes hitting the United States between 1996 and 2016 and show that counties with more wetland coverage experienced significantly less property damage. The expected economic value of the protective effects of wetlands varies widely across coastal US counties with an average value of about $1.8 million/km2 per year and a median value of $91,000/km2 Wetlands confer relatively more protection against weaker storms and in states with weaker building codes. Recent wetland losses are estimated to have increased property damage from Hurricane Irma by $430 million. Our results suggest the importance of considering both natural and human factors in coastal zone defense policy.

SUBMITTER: Sun F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7084091 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Coastal wetlands reduce property damage during tropical cyclones.

Sun Fanglin F   Carson Richard T RT  

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20200302 11


Coastal wetlands dampen the impact of storm surge and strong winds. Studies on the economic valuation of this protective service provided by wetland ecosystems are, however, rare. Here, we analyze property damage caused by 88 tropical storms and hurricanes hitting the United States between 1996 and 2016 and show that counties with more wetland coverage experienced significantly less property damage. The expected economic value of the protective effects of wetlands varies widely across coastal US  ...[more]

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