Published Institution University of Greenwich Location London, United Kingdom
A laboratory study simulating 24-hour tidal conditions for Rhizophora mucronata propagules, to inform weighting and anchoring system design.
Before a propagule is ever dropped in the field, its behaviour in water has to be understood. This laboratory study simulated a full 24-hour tidal cycle for Rhizophora mucronata propagules, observing how they settle, orient, and begin to anchor as water levels rise and fall.
The experiment varied propagule weighting and release orientation, recording which combinations reached the substrate upright and held position through the simulated tide. The findings inform the weighting and anchoring system being designed for the drones.
Why simulate first
Field windows are short and conditions are uncontrolled. A laboratory tidal simulation lets the team isolate one variable at a time, so that the field trials begin from a design that already works in principle rather than testing everything at once in the mud.
Get the propagule to land upright and hold, and everything downstream becomes easier.
Laboratory note
Refined weighting from this study will be carried into the next round of field anchoring trials.