Biomechanical parameters of marram grass (<i>Calamagrostis arenaria</i>) for advanced modeling of dune vegetation

Kosmalla, Viktoria; Lojek, Oliver; Carus, Jana; Keimer, Kara; Ahrenbeck, Lukas; Mehrtens, Björn; Schürenkamp, David; Schröder, Boris; Goseberg, Nils

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-791-2025

Articles | Volume 13, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-791-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-791-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 13, issue 5

Research article

| Highlight paper

|

04 Sep 2025

Research article | Highlight paper |

| 04 Sep 2025

Biomechanical parameters of marram grass (Calamagrostis arenaria) for advanced modeling of dune vegetation

Viktoria Kosmalla, Oliver Lojek, Jana Carus, Kara Keimer, Lukas Ahrenbeck, Björn Mehrtens, David Schürenkamp, Boris Schröder, and Nils Goseberg

Data sets

Geometric and mechanical properties dataset of marram grass (Calamagrostis arenaria, formerly Ammophila arenaria) across dune habitats on Spiekeroog Island (December 2021 - December 2022) : Exploring seasonal and site-specific variability in marram grass' geometric and mechanical traits through field investigations and bending tests V. Kosmalla et al. https://doi.org/10.24355/dbbs.084-202404230724-0

Short summary

This study analyzes seasonal biomechanical traits of marram grass at two coastal dune sites using monthly field and lab data from 2022. Observed differences in density, leaf length, and flower stems were found to be wind-independent and transferable across sites. The results support surrogate model development for numerical and physical experiments alike, where using live vegetation is impractical. Results address the knowledge gap on how vegetation influences dune stability and erosion resistance.