US counties with more wetlands experienced significantly less property damage from hurricanes and tropical storms over a recent 20-year period, according to a study. For low-lying coastal communities, wetlands are a natural buffer against sea-level rise and increasing storm intensity due to climate change. Using data from tropical cyclone systems in the United States from 1996 to 2016, Fanglin Sun and Richard Carson analyzed the ability of coastal wetlands to serve as natural levees and reduce property damage. The authors calculated the estimated economic value of the protective effects of wetlands by analyzing the effects of 88 tropical cyclones on 232 counties of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Considering factors that include property values and local elevation, the authors estimated that the average marginal value of 1km2 of wetlands is $1.8 million per year. The relative protection from wetlands was relatively greater in areas with weak building codes. Applying the model, the authors estimated that wetland losses in Florida since 1996 increased damage from Hurricane Irma by $430 million. According to the authors, wetland preservation or restoration can be a cost-effective policy to mitigate storm damage, even when other ecosystem services provided by wetlands are not taken into account.
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Article #19-15169: "Coastal wetlands reduce property damage during tropical cyclones," by Fanglin Sun and Richard T. Carson.
MEDIA CONTACT: Fanglin Sun, University of California, San Diego, CA; tel: 858-729-3945; e-mail: f4sun@ucsd.edu ; Richard Carson, University of California, San Diego, CA; e-mail: rcarson@ucsd.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences