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Over 85 % of oyster reefs have been lost globally due to disease, overharvesting, global warming, and pollution. Consideration of the ecosystem services provided by healthy oyster reefs (e.g., coastal protection, water purification and carbon burial) has driven recent research and restoration efforts worldwide. However, hydrodynamic studies, specifically looking at the effects of different levels of wave exposure on the ecomorphodynamics of oyster reefs, are scarce. In this study, we consider oyster reefs in microtidal estuaries under different levels of relative wave exposure to determine how hydrodynamics may shape reef morphology and how reef morphology affects wave dissipation. We quantify oyster reef morphology through spatial analysis, using morphometrics and spatial density and relate these to the ability of oyster reefs to dissipate wave energy. Field campaigns were undertaken at three microtidal sites in …