Curt D. Storlazzi Elizabeth M. Whitcher Ilsa B. Kuffner Ellen Quataert Johan Reyns Robert T. McCall Anastasios Stathakopoulos Zandy Hillis-Starr Nathaniel H. Holloway Kristin A. Ewen Clayton G. Pollock Tess Code Richard B. Aronson Lauren T. Toth 2023 <div id="Abs1-section" class="c-article-section"><div id="Abs1-content" class="c-article-section__content"><p>The ability of reefs to protect coastlines from storm-driven flooding hinges on their capacity to keep pace with sea-level rise. Here, we show how and whether coral restoration could achieve the often-cited goal of reversing the impacts of coral-reef degradation to preserve this essential function. We combined coral-growth measurements and carbonate-budget assessments of reef-accretion potential at Buck Island Reef, U.S. Virgin Islands, with hydrodynamic modeling to quantify future coastal flooding under various coral-restoration, sea-level rise, and storm scenarios. Our results provide guidance on how restoration of<span>&nbsp;</span><i>Acropora palmata</i>, if successful, could mitigate the most extreme impacts of coastal flooding by reversing projected trajectories of reef erosion and allowing reefs to keep pace with the ~0.5 m of sea-level rise expected by 2100 with moderate carbon-emissions reductions. This highlights the potential long-term benefits of pursuing coral-reef restoration alongside climate-change mitigation to support the persistence of essential coral-reef ecosystem services.</p></div></div> application/pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-37858-2 en Nature The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise article