A highly realistic techno-economic analysis (TEA) was developed to assess the cost of production (COP, US $ per fresh tonne kelp) for large-scale kelp aquaculture. The TEA resolves feedbacks across structural design and response, operational requirements and decisions, site properties, and biological response. We apply the TEA to a Saccharina latissima farming operation at a 100m deep, 405 hectare site located 20 km offshore in the Gulf of Maine. Our baseline scenario included a farm previously designed for minimal structure cost normalized by production capacity and operated according to procedures typical for contemporary US-based kelp farms. Assuming “line-of-sight” farm operations, i.e. those that could be implemented with existing technologies, the structure was redesigned for minimized COP (improved scenario). Leveraging the comprehensive nature of the TEA to balance operational and structural design choices, COP was reduced from $2,618 at baseline to $383 in the improved scenario. Primary cost reduction drivers included: (1) use of purpose-built, correctly sized vessels, (2) heavily mechanized operations, (3) at-sea processing of harvested kelp into a slurry (4) biomass storage in vessel holds, (5) structural design that minimizes loads, maximizes operational efficiency and spatial productivity, and (6) cultivation at maximal depths for site specific light penetration. Baseline results were most sensitive to workable wave height thresholds, vessel cruising speed, yield and distance from port. Improved scenario COP was most sensitive to yield, farm component lifespan, and structural costs. Results highlight that no single innovation in operations models or structural design will dictate potential COP minima for large-scale kelp farming.

In response to stakeholder conflicts, coastal pollution, and spatial constraints limiting sustainable nearshore aquaculture, offshore farms have emerged as a potential solution. However, offshore farms are exposed to energetic wave-current conditions and require a rigorous engineering approach to reduce failure risk. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the risk of structural failure of offshore mussel farms in response to extreme wave and current conditions using a representative mussel farm design in New England offshore waters. This includes a three-step methodology: (1) Computational fluid dynamics-derived drag coefficients: 2D OpenFOAM simulations determine normal and tangential drag coefficients for mussel droppers; (2) Hydro-elastic finite-element modeling: a time-domain finite-element model driven by Airy-wave kinematics and Morison loads to predict mooring, mainline, strap, and dropper responses under 10-, 25-, and 50-year return-period wave and current scenarios; and (3) Statistical risk assessment: simulation outputs are interpolated to create a continuous response field across the full range of wave heights and current speeds, which is then integrated with a joint probability density function of significant wave height and current speed-alongside component ultimate and residual strength at three growth phases-to estimate failure probabilities over specified design lives and recommend optimized safety factors. Results indicate that combining accurate drag coefficients with a continuous response surface and joint-PDF risk analysis enables systematic estimation of component failure probabilities and informs appropriate safety-factor selection. Thus, the proposed integrated methodology can be used to quantify structural failure risk and support informed design decisions for reliable offshore aquaculture structures.

Semi-rigid fiberglass/vinylester composite lines are being investigated as a substitution of traditional synthetic lines in offshore aquaculture mooring systems in an effort to prevent or mitigate large marine mammal entanglement. This paper briefly outlines a comprehensive set of field studies, laboratory tests, and numerical approaches utilized in the project. One of the laboratory studies investigating full-scale interaction of a composite line with North Atlantic Right Whale appendages is presented in detail. It is shown that in the case of such interaction the whale will likely break the line and avoid entanglement.

With the expansion of macroalgae aquaculture in oceanic waters, especially of order Laminariales, a need exists to have optimized cultivation systems suitable for exposed conditions. To enable the design of such systems with a quantifiable level of confidence, in this paper, we developed a high-fidelity hydrodynamic modeling technique for kelp farms by introducing equivalent kelp elements for kelp aggregates with Reynolds number-based drag coefficients. After validating the model with towing tests for model kelp aggregates, it was then compared with comprehensive field datasets for a single line cultivation system with two mooring connections, in Saco Bay, Maine. The model yielded a larger tension than the measured tension by 23.3% on the west mooring line but a smaller tension by 23.2% on the east mooring line. The discrepancies may be caused by the uncertainties in the model configuration and input due to difficulties quantifying exact longline orientation, anchor-anchor distance, current reduction along the kelp longline, kelp mass density, and rope axial stiffness. Sensitivity analysis indicates that addressing these uncertainties may improve the model technique. Even though, the developed model is still reliable with a safety factor in the application for the design, installation and management of kelp aquaculture farms.

Seaweed cultivation systems suitable for offshore and exposed locations have the potential to enable expansion of global seaweed production to levels capable of substantially supplementing or offsetting terrestrial agriculture. A demonstration scale, experimental seaweed cultivation system (farm) intended to withstand exposed ocean environments was designed, deployed, planted with kelp (a type of seaweed), monitored and decommissioned. Objectives for the field program included: [1] observation of the farm’s behavior and survivability in exposed ocean conditions, [2] demonstration of novel farm system design features and component technologies, and [3] evaluation of farm operability. Novel design features included a lattice mooring system geometry, multi-shaft helical anchors, and the use of fiberglass rod as a replacement for rope anchor lines and kelp growth substrate in order to mitigate the risk of marine animal entanglement. New hardware was developed for transmitting tension loads to and from fiberglass rods, enabling their use in the farm. A numerical model was used in the design stage to simulate the farm in ocean conditions. Analysis results were used to specify farm components, evaluate sensitivities to installation precision, identify potential issues with component interaction, consider operational constraints and investigate the implications of single point failures. The farm was installed at a Gulf of Maine, USA site and planted with Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) in November 2021 through January 2022 and monitored for one growth season. Kelp was sampled 3 times and met-ocean conditions were measured throughout the season. Kelp was harvested in May 2022 and the structure was removed June 2022. Recovered components were inspected for wear. The farm survived a series of storm events with significant wave heights greater than 2m and at least one storm with a maximum wave height of 5.9m. The farm system experienced only minor corrosion, wear and damage. Farm operations revealed the need for improved accessibility, tension control and anchor placement accuracy. Observations and tests revealed relatively poor kelp holdfast attachment to the fiberglass rope replacement. Nonetheless, demonstration results suggest that the experimental farming system design was suitable for use in exposed settings.

Sustainable aquaculture in nearshore waters faces challenges such as stakeholder conflicts, environmental pollution, and spatial constraints. Offshore aquaculture offers a promising solution but requires robust engineering design to withstand extreme weather conditions. This study develops the environmental conditions essential for engineering the design of a continuous mussel dropper system in New England offshore waters. A potential farm location was identified using criteria including water depth, federal boundaries, seafloor suitability, farm size, and proximity to ports, based on bathymetric and sedimentary maps. Historical data from five wave monitoring stations and two current velocity stations were analyzed to model extreme environmental conditions, as waves and currents pose primary threats. The extreme wave and current conditions are modeled using the Weibull distribution, on the annual maximum hourly significant wave height data and the largest 0.3 % of current speeds. A newly proposed method combining Spalding's wall function with a fourth-order polynomial is used to enhance the current profile analysis. Additionally, a joint probability density function was developed for wave height and current velocity at a specific depth, providing insights into wave height, period, and wavelength for various return periods such as 10, 25, 50, and 100 years. The results suggest a 10-yr wave of 8 m significant wave height and a current speed of 1.68 m/s, while a 50-yr values are 9.4 m and 1.96 m/s respectively. These findings offer critical data on extreme wave and current conditions in New England's offshore waters, providing practical guidance for the engineering design of offshore mussel farms. This research advances offshore mussel farming and benefits the development of all types of offshore aquaculture systems.

The terms “offshore” and “open ocean” have been used to describe aquaculture sites that are further from the coast or in higher energy environments. Neither term has been clearly defined in the scientific literature nor in a legal context, and the terms are often used interchangeably. These and other related terms (for example “exposed”, “high-energy”) variously refer to aspects of a site such as the geographic distance from shore or infrastructure, the level of exposure to large waves and strong currents, the geographic fetch, the water depth, or some combination of these parameters. The ICES Working Group (ICES, 2024) on Open Ocean Aquaculture (WGOOA) therefore identified a need to define the terminology to reduce ambiguity for these types of aquaculture sites or more precisely, to: (1) promote a common understanding and avoid misuse for different classifications; (2) enable regulators to identify the characteristics of a marine site; (3) allow farmers to be able to assess or quantitatively compare sites for development; (4) equip developers and producers to identify operational parameters in which the equipment and vessels will need to operate; (5) provide insurers and investors with the terminology to consistently assess risk and premiums; and (6) circumvent the emergence of narratives that root in different cognitive interpretations of the terminology in public discourse. This paper describes the evolution of the use of the term “offshore aquaculture” and define the most relevant parameters to shift to a more definitive and robust term “exposed aquaculture” that can inherently relay clearer information. Adoption of this more definitive definition of “exposed” will allow the user to define a site with more than just distance from shore. Key differences and the importance of these terms are discussed that affect various interest groups. Follow-up articles in this compilation from scientific members of the WGOOA as well as other scientists outside ICES are incorporated that develop a set of definitions and a rigorous exposure index.

An experimental kelp farming system for exposed ocean conditions was designed, deployed, planted with kelp and instrumented for evaluation of its dynamic response to ocean waves, tides, and currents. The farm featured a novel "lattice" mooring design and anchor lines and cultivation lines (horizontal lines used as kelp growth substrate) made of fiberglass rods. The farm was deployed at a site in Saco Bay, Maine with 13 m (MLLW) water depth. There the farm was exposed to waves with heights up to 5.9 m. Anchor line tension, tide and wave height time series were gathered and processed into response amplitude operators (RAOs) and least squared error linear regression models enabling recognition of meaningful patterns between the forcing factors and the mooring response. Mean mooring line tensions were shown to increase nonlinearly with tide. Anchor line tension response amplitudes were shown to exhibit high sensitivity to both low and high frequency wave forcing. Numerical free-release test simulations suggested natural frequencies in heave of 0.91 Hz, indicating that tension response sensitivities at high frequency could be the result of resonance. Low frequency tension response disproportionate to the low frequency wave forcing could be explained by wave forcing on kelp cultivation arrays modulated by wave group envelopes. Instances of high magnitude, potentially damaging peak tensions, deemed shock loads, were prevalent in most load cases. Anchor line tension dynamics including RAO and shock load magnitudes were shown to be sensitive to mooring stiffness (ratio of tension to resulting elongation) and, in some cases, significant wave amplitude. Patterns of anchor line response indicated that additional mooring elasticity or geometric compliance and use of floatation with less sensitivity to high frequency waves could help avoid the cause of and costly consequences of amplified high frequency loading and high amplitude shock loading. RAOs and regression model results also indicated a subdued response in frequencies associated with ocean swell waves, suggesting desirable performance in waves most dominant in extreme storm events. With the proposed improvements, the farm system design suggests merit as a robust and durable macroalgae biomass production platform.

This work attempts to define metrics for hydrodynamic exposure, using known oceanographic variables to provide a universal site assessment method for mariculture structures. Understanding environmental conditions driving open-ocean mariculture siting is crucial in establishing consistent ocean governance, minimizing adverse environmental impacts, and facilitating economically sustainable farm operations. To provide a metric of oceanic conditions and associated requirements for structural design and operation of aquaculture systems, six Exposure Indices (EI) are proposed that consider physical energy levels related to hydrodynamic forces at a site. Four of the proposed indices consider only environmental conditions, while the other two also consider the dimensions of the gear that is exposed to the external loads. These indices are: Exposure Velocity (EV), Exposure Velocity at Reference Depth (EVRD), Specific Exposure Energy (SEE), Depth-integrated Energy Flux (DEF), Structure-centered Depth-integrated Energy (SDE), and a Structure-centered Drag-to-Buoyancy Ratio (SDBR). While these indices are derived with a focus on aquaculture structures, they may also have applications for estimating biological stressors and operational challenges. The proposed exposure indices were evaluated for a range of known aquaculture sites around the world. A sensitivity analysis was conducted that quantified the relationship between the exposure indices and storm event return period. At a regional scale, hindcast numerical data for the German Bight combined with calculations of 50-year extreme values were used to calculate and map each proposed index spatially. Resulting maps showed that exposure is not simply a function of distance from shore. The six indices show plausible performance regarding the objective assessment of aquaculture sites. The authors herein present the indices to the aquaculture and ocean engineering communities for discussion, application, and potential adoption of one or more of the proposed indices.

While the number of kelp farms have steadily increased, few have been deployed with sensors to measure mooring tensions with substantial biomass. During the kelp farming season of 2018–2019 in Saco Bay, Maine USA, a field study was conducted to assess mooring loads due to environmental conditions and kelp growth. The effort included the deployment of a farm with a 122 m cultivation line and spread mooring with rope, chain, and anchors in 15.2 m of water. The system was deployed with seeded twine in late November and harvested in May. In April, with kelp biomass estimated at 7.8 kg m−1, two load cells were installed to measure mooring tensions in response to currents and waves. The currents and waves were measured with two Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers deployed adjacent to the load cells. From these measurements, we characterized the maximum loading case in response to a complex hydrodynamic environment. The maximum tension occurred on the landward side of the farm even though wave exposure was seaward. The tension in the landward side mooring was dominated by steady drag from the currents going to the east southeast. During this event, the two profilers were positioned on the leading and trailing edges of the farm relative to the prevailing current direction. Velocities measured at 0.5 m bins showed a 26.7% reduction at the depths where the kelp was located. To analyze the dynamic portion of the load cell datasets, the oscillatory components were processed into energy density spectra. Results showed that mooring tensions were not affected by waves at frequencies greater than 0.175 Hz, with most of the energy occurring near 0.12 Hz. The tension spectra did reveal energy at frequencies between 0.0075 and 0.01 Hz, indicating a low frequency response, possibly due to nonuniform velocity profiles inducing vertical motion of the cultivation line. It was also observed that the landward mooring, subjected to higher currents, was more sensitive to oscillating loads than the slack seaward side. The high-fidelity dataset will be useful for numerical modeling validation to further understand these dynamics and to optimize kelp farm designs.

Fish have developed unique anatomies and capabilities to thrive in a dynamic undersea environment. One such biological feature is a lateral line organ, which allows a fish to detect skin-surface pressure differences caused by the wakes of upstream objects. By understanding its incident and surrounding fluid flow-field, a fish can swim more efficiently. This paper presents the design and development of an engineered sensory system with similar capabilities to a natural lateral line. The artificial lateral line was constructed using an array of commercial off-the-shelf pressure sensors and an additively-manufactured housing. A series of experiments were performed in a recirculating water tunnel at the United States Naval Academy using a pair of upstream articulating hydrofoils, demonstrating the ability of the sensors to detect both flapping frequency and a distinct relationship between frequency and phase offset. These in-water trials broadly revealed the system’s potential to characterize vortex wakes in a manner similar to fish. Ultimately, the results demonstrate the functionality of a low-cost sensory system architecture capable of being integrated into an uncrewed underwater vehicle, significantly benefiting applied biomimetic research in the undersea domain.

Aquaculture of seaweeds, particularly in emerging farming regions such as North America, Europe, and South America, is steadily increasing. The growth of the sector has been supported by public and private R&D investment with the long-term goal of reducing farm-gate production costs. Reducing expenses would potentially allow growers to target high volume, low value markets, such as hydrocolloids, animal feeds, food thickening agents, biofuels, and carbon dioxide removal (CDR), as well as the higher value, “whole foods” markets. Regardless of the eventual fate of farmed seaweed, nursery production must increase in parallel with ocean cultivation to support the raw materials needs of the expanding industry. We quantified S. latissima (hereafter kelp) nursery production costs and identified potential barriers to cost-effective scaling using a techno-economic model (TEM). Semi-structured interviews with nursery operators in the U.S. and Europe were supplemented by an extensive literature review to parameterize the TEM. Reducing the sporophyte grow-out duration, increasing labor capacity, de-risking energy efficient flow-through systems, and optimizing tank and PVC “spool” size emerged as the most important research priorities based on our analysis. We point towards expanded gametophyte culture, and an associated policy framework to protect wild kelp population structure from monocultures, as necessary elements to support these potential improvements. The results of this work, as well as the open-source nursery TEM, are relevant to seaweed aquaculture producers, policy makers, and researchers, and can be used to guide future decision making regarding the cost-benefit of best available nursery technology.

For over 50 years, government fishery agencies have recognized the need to transition excess fishing capacity in coastal waters to aquaculture. For the most part, investment strategies to move wild capture and harvest efforts into aquaculture have failed since the technology and capital expense for entry, such as large fish pens, was not conducive for acceptance. In contrast, low trophic level aquaculture of shellfish and seaweeds is suitable as an addition to the livelihoods of seasonal fishing communities and to those displaced by fishery closures, especially if vessels and gear can be designed around existing fishing infrastructures, thus allowing fishers to maintain engagement with their primary fishery, while augmenting income via aquaculture. In this study, an inexpensive, lightweight, and highly mobile gear for kelp seaweed farming was developed and tested over a 3-year period in southern Maine, USA. The system was different from existing kelp farming operations used in nearshore waters that use low-scope mooring lines, and heavy, deadweight anchors. Instead, a highly mobile, easy to deploy system using lightweight gear was designed for exposed conditions. The entire system fit into fish tote boxes and was loadable onto a standard pickup truck. The seaweed system had small but efficient horizontal drag embedment anchors connected to a chain catenary and pretensioned with simple subsurface flotation. The system was able to be deployed and removed in less than 4 h by a crew of three using a 10 m vessel and produced a harvest of 12.7 kg/m over an 8-month fall-winter growth period. The target group for this seaweed research and development effort were coastal fishing communities who move seasonally into non-fishing occupations in service industries, such as construction, retail, etc. An economic assessment suggests farmers would realize an 8% return on investment after3 years and $13.50/h greater income as compared to a non-farming off season job at minimum wage. This low-cost seaweed farming system for fall-winter operations fits well into a “livelihood” strategy for fishing families who must work multiple jobs in the offseason when their main fishery is unavailable.

Vegetation is one of the most important components of nature-based coastal protection due to its ability to dissipate wave energy. To quantify the wave attenuation by vegetation, traditional analytical models assume rigid vegetation and use bulk drag coefficient (C-D) or effective blade length (l(e)) techniques to consider the effects of blade motion, where C-D & nbsp;and le are conventionally fitted as a function of KC (the Keulegan-Carpenter number) and CaL (with Ca the Cauchy number and L the ratio of the blade length to wave excursion), respectively. These parameters do not include the full blade dynamics and so the empirical formulas of C-D & nbsp;and le are different for varying vegetation with blade dynamics. To obtain analytical solutions for C(D & nbsp;)and l(e), an analytical wave attenuation model for flexible vegetation (and kelp) was developed in this study by simplifying and linearizing the blade motion. Compared with a wide range of experiments for both submerged vegetation and suspended kelp canopies, the simplified analytical model underestimated the wave decay coefficient (kD) by 27%, but with a small NRMSE (normalized root mean square error by the range of the measured data) of 0.054. In comparison, the numerical model with full nonlinearity underestimated the wave decay coefficient by 11.7% with NRMSE=0.063. To reduce the underestimation of the analytical model due to the simplification and linearization, a modification factor defined as the ratio of the numerically calculated k(D) and the analytically calculated k(D) was fitted. With the modification factor, the underestimation of the analytical model was reduced to 10.1%. Based on the analytical model, analytical solutions for C(D & nbsp;)and le were derived, which showed a similar precision with the experimentally fitted C-D & nbsp;and le based on KC and CaL, respectively. Thus, the analytical solutions for C-D & nbsp;and le could be a reliable alternative when the experimentally calibrated C(D )and le are not available. Using the analytical wave attenuation model, a case study showed the wave attenuation by cultivated Saccharina latissima changes seasonally with the kelp growth. When the kelp blade reaches 2.4 m long after 7 months of growth, the kelp farms with 50 longlines (over a distance of 200 m in the direction of wave propagation) in 8 m-deep water may attenuate wave energy by 29% for 1 m-high waves with the period of 6 s. The wave attenuation can be enhanced to 43% when the farms are located in 5 m-deep water. To provide considerable wave attenuation of kelp with adequate long blades around the year, biennial and multiple partial harvesting techniques are recommended.

Consistent growth of the marine aquaculture industry over the past decades calls for potential deployments of large-scale aquaculture structures to produce finfish, shellfish and macroalgae in varying inshore and offshore environments. Numerical simulations for engineering design applications become more challenging with increase of scale since current velocity fields are no longer uniform, complicating accurate hydrodynamic load calculations. Horizontal and vertical velocity profiles in this case are spatially (depth and particular location within the deployment site) and temporary (date and time) dependent. Thus, proper representation of the current velocity field in numerical models becomes crucial for accurate predictions of structural performance of aquaculture installations. In this paper, an advanced multidimensional approximation method based on discrete current velocity data is formulated. The approach implies presenting the continuous current velocity function as a superposition of weighted radial basis functions extended by a linear polynomial. To address overfitting issues, the thin plate regularization is applied in the method. The approximation is then constrained in order to fit the velocity values on the domain boundaries. The method is implemented in finite element software Hydro-FE and its performance is compared to other approximation methods on the example of a kelp grow line deployed at the Wood Island research site, Maine, USA. It was found that the difference between regular (mean or linearly interpolated) velocity profiles and the velocity profiles approximated with the radial basis function method can reach up to 34–38 % in terms of grow line mooring tensions, and 6–18% in terms of grow line displacement.

To keep global surface warming below 1.5°C by 2100, the portfolio of cost-effective CDR technologies must expand. To evaluate the potential of macroalgae CDR, we developed a kelp aquaculture bio-techno-economic model in which large quantities of kelp would be farmed at an offshore site, transported to a deep water “sink site”, and then deposited below the sequestration horizon (1,000 m). We estimated the costs and associated emissions of nursery production, permitting, farm construction, ocean cultivation, biomass transport, and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) for a 1,000 acre (405 ha) “baseline” project located in the Gulf of Maine, USA. The baseline kelp CDR model applies current systems of kelp cultivation to deep water (100 m) exposed sites using best available modeling methods. We calculated the levelized unit costs of CO2eq sequestration (LCOC; $ tCO2eq-1). Under baseline assumptions, LCOC was $17,048 tCO2eq-1. Despite annually sequestering 628 tCO2eq within kelp biomass at the sink site, the project was only able to net 244 C credits (tCO2eq) each year, a true sequestration “additionality” rate (AR) of 39% (i.e., the ratio of net C credits produced to gross C sequestered within kelp biomass). As a result of optimizing 18 key parameters for which we identified a range within the literature, LCOC fell to $1,257 tCO2eq-1 and AR increased to 91%, demonstrating that substantial cost reductions could be achieved through process improvement and decarbonization of production supply chains. Kelp CDR may be limited by high production costs and energy intensive operations, as well as MRV uncertainty. To resolve these challenges, R&D must (1) de-risk farm designs that maximize lease space, (2) automate the seeding and harvest processes, (3) leverage selective breeding to increase yields, (4) assess the cost-benefit of gametophyte nursery culture as both a platform for selective breeding and driver of operating cost reductions, (5) decarbonize equipment supply chains, energy usage, and ocean cultivation by sourcing electricity from renewables and employing low GHG impact materials with long lifespans, and (6) develop low-cost and accurate MRV techniques for ocean-based CDR.

Many kelp aquaculture farms consist of moored arrays of long horizontal lines that grow kelp near the water surface. Most kelp farms are deployed in the same direction of wave propagation. However, with numerous longlines of densely grown kelp, these farms may have the potential to attenuate waves if installed perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. In this application, the kelp farm may serve as a form of nature-based coastal protection. To assess this potential, a set of 1:10 scale physical model experiments were conducted to measure the wave attenuation of a suspended kelp model. The model was scaled based on the morphological and mechanical properties of the cultivated Saccharine latissima (sugar kelp) from Saco Bay, Maine, USA. Experimental results demonstrated that suspended blades have asymmetric oscillatory motions with more bending in the opposite direction of wave propagation. Due to severe asymmetric blade motion in large waves, the suspended blade could roll over the attached line following the wave orbital motion. The results also showed that suspended kelp farms in the designed configuration with 20 longlines of 1-m-long blades and 100 blades/m have the potential attenuating wave energy by up to 33.7% under the experimental wave conditions. Based on the experimental data, empirical formulas were developed for the bulk drag coefficient (C-DB) and effective blade length (l(e)) of suspended kelp canopies for wave attenuation. To predict wave attenuation under a wider range of conditions and to identify the key parameters affecting wave attenuation, a numerical model was developed that could resolve blade motion. The benefits of resolving blade motion were to improve the model accuracy and reduce the number of experiments needed for obtaining C-DB or l(e), which is required in the conventional wave attenuation models based on the rigid blade assumption. The results indicate that (i) the wave energy dissipation ratio (EDR defined as the ratio of the dissipated wave energy to the incident wave energy) of suspended kelp farms decreases with increased water depth, (H) EDR is not sensitive to wave height, (Hi) EDR first increases and then decreases with wavelength, and (iv) EDR increases with blade size, kelp vertical position, plant density, and the number of longlines. Therefore, the technique to improve the wave attenuation capacity of suspended kelp farms for nature-based coastal defense is to install the kelp farms in shallower water, expand the farm size by adding more longlines, locate the kelp in a higher position of the water column, grow the kelp more densely, and choose the kelp species with more rigid, wider, and longer blades/biomass.

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) provides primary products for the food web, as well as shelter and nursery for many juvenile species. SAV can also attenuate waves, stabilize the seabed, and improve water quality. These environmental services are influenced by the dynamic motion of SAV. In this paper, a consistent-mass cable model was developed to investigate flow interaction with a flexible vegetation blade. Compared with previous vegetation models, the cable model showed improvements in simulating blade motions in waves with and without currents, especially for "second-normal-mode-like" blade motion. Wave asymmetry would cause blade motion to be asymmetric. However, asymmetric blade motion may also occur in symmetric waves. Results indicate that the asymmetric blade motion in symmetric waves is induced by two major mechanisms: (i) the spatial asymmetry of the encountered wave orbital velocities (wave motion relative to blade) due to blade displacements and (ii) the asymmetric action on the blade by vertical wave orbital velocities. Consequently, the blade motion is asymmetric even underneath symmetric waves unless (i) blade length (l) is much smaller than the wavelength (l/L << 1), (ii) blade length is much smaller than the water depth (l/h << 1) in finite water depth waves, or (iii) water depth is much smaller than the wavelength (h/L << 1). Peak asymmetric blade motion occurs as l/L increases to a critical value. The peak asymmetry increases with wave height and blade length but decreases with increasing blade flexural rigidity. Blade motion characteristics play an important role in wave-vegetation interaction, wave-driven currents, wave-attenuation capacity, breakage of vegetation and ecosystem services.