In coastal regions around the world development, sea level rise, and increasing storm intensity have produce ever increasing risk of environmental and socioeconomic damages. The 2014 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the important role of ecosystem-based coastal protection, including the use of mangroves and salt marshes as a buffer against damage to coastal communities. Furthermore, mangrove ecosystems provide other services such as nursery area for fish production, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. In this study, led by Dr. Maria Maza [now at IH Cantabria], a 1/12th scale model mangrove forest was constructed to study the flow adjustment near the forest edge and to characterize the hydrodynamic drag on individual trees within the complex root geometry. This parameterization of root drag will lead to a better quantification of coastal protection provided by these ecosystems. Undergraduates Katie Adler, Diogo Ramos, and Adrian Garcia conducted the experiments.