Influence at ICCE 2026
From 17–22 May 2026, Research Assistant Andrew Williams represented the Influence Project at the 39th International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE 2026) in Galveston, Texas. As one of the world’s leading conferences dedicated to coastal engineering, ICCE provided an invaluable opportunity to present research, engage with international experts, and exchange ideas on improving the resilience of coastal communities to flooding and climate change.
The conference brought together engineers, researchers, practitioners and students from around the world to address some of the most pressing challenges facing coastal environments. Sessions explored a wide range of topics, including coastal hazards and risk, hydrodynamics, morphodynamics, coastal management, engineering structures and Nature-based Solutions. Together, these discussions highlighted the importance of combining scientific research with practical engineering approaches to build more resilient coastlines in an increasingly uncertain climate.
Quantifying the Role of Mangroves in Flood Mitigation
Andrew’s presentation, “Probabilistic Assessment of Mangroves in Flood Mitigation at South Oropouche, Trinidad,” focused on one of the key challenges in implementing Nature-based Solutions: quantifying the protection provided by mangrove ecosystems under complex flooding conditions.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to compound coastal flooding, where storm surge, waves, tides, heavy rainfall and river discharge interact to produce more severe flooding than any individual hazard alone. As climate change continues to increase flood risk, improving our understanding of these interactions is becoming increasingly important for developing effective adaptation strategies.
The presentation highlighted how the Influence Project is combining laboratory experiments, field observations and numerical modelling to better understand the role of mangroves in reducing flood impacts. Laboratory studies are helping to quantify how mangrove forests influence waves and water movement, while an expanding field monitoring network, including weather stations, water-level loggers, camera systems, terrestrial laser scanning and satellite observations, is providing the data needed to develop and validate flood models for the South Oropouche River Basin.
The Influence Project would like to thank the conference organizers, session chairs and participants for delivering an outstanding event. ICCE 2026 provided a valuable opportunity to share our research, receive insightful feedback, and connect with researchers and practitioners from around the world. We look forward to building on these discussions as the project continues to advance.
