Accretion of a New England (U.S.A.) Salt Marsh in Response to Inlet Migration, Storms, and Sea-level Rise

Roman, Charles T.; Peck, John A.; Allen, James; King, John W.; Appleby, P. G.

doi:10.1006/ecss.1997.0236

Cited by 123 publications

(80 citation statements)

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“…Historically, sea level rise has been integral to sediment delivery and geologic development of the salt marsh. As rates of sea level rise have increased, rates of salt marsh accretion have also hastened, sometimes exceeding sea level rise rates over the short term (Nixon 1980, Roman et al 1997). However, as sea level rise continues to accelerate, there is concern that the rate of sea level rise will outpace the rate of accretion and salt marshes will drown.…”

Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Human-driven Change In Salt Marshesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Centuries of Human-Driven Change in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

Gedan

Silliman

Bertness

2009

Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci.

781

436

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Salt marshes are among the most abundant, fertile, and accessible coastal habitats on earth, and they provide more ecosystem services to coastal populations than any other environment. Since the Middle Ages, humans have manipulated salt marshes at a grand scale, altering species composition, distribution, and ecosystem function. Here, we review historic and contemporary human activities in marsh ecosystems-exploitation of plant products; conversion to farmland, salt works, and urban land; introduction of non-native species; alteration of coastal hydrology; and metal and nutrient pollution. Unexpectedly, diverse types of impacts can have a similar consequence, turning salt marsh food webs upside down, dramatically increasing top down control. Of the various impacts, invasive species, runaway consumer effects, and sea level rise represent the greatest threats to salt marsh ecosystems. We conclude that the best way to protect salt marshes and the services they provide is through the integrated approach of ecosystem-based management.

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Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Human-driven Change In Salt Marshesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Centuries of Human-Driven Change in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

Gedan

Silliman

Bertness

2009

Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci.

781

436

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“…Many salt marshes have been lost in recent decades, mainly because of human activities (Goodwin et al 2001). Furthermore, remaining salt marshes are at risk of drowning (Roman et al 1997;Reed 2002) as a result of global sea-level rise (Douglas et al 2001) and a local reduction in (riverine) sediment supply (Yang et al 2006). The ability of salt marshes to accrete in response to sea-level rise by trapping sediment is strongly dependent on the attenuation of waves and currents (Friedrichs and Perry 2001;Leonard and Reed 2002;Bouma et al 2005a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wave Attenuation at a Salt Marsh Margin: A Case Study of an Exposed Coast on the Yangtze Estuary

Yang

Shi

Bouma

et al. 2011

Estuaries and Coasts

138

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To quantify wave attenuation by (introduced) Spartina alterniflora vegetation at an exposed macrotidal coast in the Yangtze Estuary, China, wave parameters and water depth were measured during 13 consecutive tides at nine locations ranging from 10 m seaward to 50 m landward of the low marsh edge. During this period, the incident wave height ranged from <0.1 to 1.5 m, the maximum of which is much higher than observed in other marsh areas around the world. Our measurements and calculations showed that the wave attenuation rate per unit distance was 1 to 2 magnitudes higher over the marsh than over an adjacent mudflat. Although the elevation gradient of the marsh margin was significantly higher than that of the adjacent mudflat, more than 80% of wave attenuation was ascribed to the presence of vegetation, suggesting that shoaling effects were of minor importance. On average, waves reaching the marsh were eliminated over a distance of ∼80 m, although a marsh distance of ≥100 m was needed before the maximum height waves were fully attenuated during high tides. These attenuation distances were longer than those previously found in American salt marshes, mainly due to the macrotidal and exposed conditions at the present site. The ratio of water depth to plant height showed an inverse correlation with wave attenuation rate, indicating that plant height is a crucial factor determining the efficiency of wave attenuation. Consequently, the tall shoots of the introduced S. alterniflora makes this species much more efficient at attenuating waves than the shorter, native pioneer species in the Yangtze Estuary, and should therefore be considered as a factor in coastal management during the present era of sea-level rise and global change. We also found that wave attenuation across the salt marsh can be predicted using published models when a suitable coefficient is incorporated to account for drag, which varies in place and time due to differences in plant characteristics and abiotic conditions (i.e., bed gradient, initial water depth, and wave action).

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“…A pulse of sedimentation occurred at ~1820-1870 CE and the average rate of sedimentation during the 20 th century was 2.6 mm/yr (90% credible interval of 0.8-10.7 mm/yr; Figure 6B). This temporal evolution is typical of salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of North America (e.g., Kemp et al, 2015;Varekamp et al, 1992;van de Plassche et al, 1998;Donnelly et al, 2004;Nydick et al, 1995;Engelhart et al, 2009;Kemp et al, 2014;Kemp et al, 2011;Kemp et al, 2013a) where sedimentation rates on multi-decadal and longer timescales are closely linked to the rate of RSL rise (e.g., Morris et al, 2002;Kirwan and Murray, 2007;Kirwan and Murray, 2008 , Harrison and Bloom, 1977;Roman et al, 1997;McCaffery and Thomson, 1980). We conclude that the history of sediment accumulation estimated for PBA-4 is typical of salt marshes in Long Island Sound and that our RSL reconstruction is not a reflection of local and anomalous sediment accumulation arising from its location in an urban salt marsh.…”

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confidence: 99%

Relative sea-level trends in New York City during the past 1500 years

et al. 2017

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foraminifera, salt marsh, Bayesian transfer function, carbon isotope, The Bronx, sedimentation Abstract: New York City is at risk from 21st century relative sea-level rise because it is likely to experience a regional trend that exceeds the global mean and has high concentrations of low-lying infrastructure and socio economic activity. To provide a long-term context for anticipated future trends, we reconstructed relative sea-level change during the past ~1500 years using a sediment core from a salt marsh at Pelham Bay in The Bronx. Foraminifera and bulk sediment δ13C values were used as sea level indicators, while the history of sediment accumulation was established by radiocarbon dating of plant macrofossils and recognition of pollution and land-use trends of known age in down-core elemental, isotopic, and pollen profiles. The reconstruction was generated within a Bayesian hierarchical model comprised of three modules (calibration, chronology, and process) to accommodate multiple proxies and to provide a unified statistical framework for quantifying uncertainty. We show that relative sea level in New York City rose by ~1.70 m since ~575 CE, of which ~0.38 m occurred after 1850 CE. The rate of relative sea level rise increased markedly between 1852 CE and 1911 CE, which coincides with other reconstructions along the U.S. Atlantic coast. A regional tidal model was used to investigate the possible influence of tidal-range change in Long Island Sound on our reconstruction and we demonstrate that this effect was likely small. However, future tidal-range change could http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/holocene approximately mean high water (MHW) and mean higher high water (MHHW; e.g., van de Plassche, 1991;Redfield, 1972; Johnson and York, 1915). At the boundary between the salt marsh and surrounding, upland forest is a narrow vegetative zone dominated by Phragmites australis. This zone is found above the MHHW tidal datum. Peat forming in this environment is typically a black, amorphous organic matrix that hosts the rhizomes of Phragmites australis plants (e.g., Niering et al., 1977). Through time these rhizomes are commonly flattened and degraded, resulting in a homogenized peat. The halotype of Phragmites found on and around modern salt marshes in the northeastern United States is invasive, although native haloptypes existed prior to European colonization in this region (Saltonstall, 2002). Elsewhere this uppermost zone of marine influence may also be occupied by Schoeneplectus spp., Typha spp., and/or Iva fructescens. We estimated the great diurnal tidal range (mean lower low water, MLLW to MHHW) at the site to be 2.44 m using the VDatum Harbor and Long Island Sound. METHODS Core collection and levelingThe sediment beneath the Pelham Bay salt marsh was described from hand-driven cores collected along two transects ( Figure 1C, D). Core PBA-4 was selected for detailed analysis because it included the thickest accumulation of peat and was therefore anticipated to provide the longest RSL record and adequate materia...

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Accretion of a New England (U.S.A.) Salt Marsh in Response to Inlet Migration, Storms, and Sea-level Rise

Cited by 123 publications

References 0 publications

Centuries of Human-Driven Change in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

Centuries of Human-Driven Change in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

Wave Attenuation at a Salt Marsh Margin: A Case Study of an Exposed Coast on the Yangtze Estuary

Relative sea-level trends in New York City during the past 1500 years

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