Throughout the last few decades, large swaths of aquatic vegetation have disappeared around the world, including in the United States. In response, a team of CEE researchers has developed a model to help scientists understand how and when sediments move through a region of aquatic vegetation, as well as identify locations where aquatic vegetation may be less prone to erosion. “Wetlands are very important because they protect our coastal areas, but they are eroding,” said CEE graduate student Qingjun “Judy” Yang SM ‘15. “With this [work], engineers can do modeling on how the stresses vary, and whether it would be helpful to plant vegetation here or there, based on the equation.” The findings were published in the journal Water Resources Research. For the MIT news article, please see here.