Evaluating the effects of land-use change and future climate change on vulnerability of coastal landscapes to saltwater intrusion

Bhattachan, Abinash; Emanuel, R. E.; Ardón, Marcelo; Bernhardt, Emily S.; Anderson, Steven M.; Stillwagon, Matthew Glenn; Ury, Emily A.; BenDor, Todd K.; Wright, Justin P.

doi:10.1525/elementa.316

Cited by 50 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and magnitude of droughts in the mid‐Atlantic region (Wehner et al, 2017). Additionally, high tide flooding, especially during storms, can push saline waters well inland, and these impacts can be magnified in artificially drained landscapes (like the Delmarva) where intense ditching and tiling increases hydrological connectivity (Bhattachan et al, 2018). High tide flooding is also expected to worsen with sea level rise.…”

Section: Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus and the Chesapeake Bay: Lingering Issues and Emerging Concerns for Agriculture

Kleinman

Fanelli

Hirsch³

et al. 2019

J of Env Quality

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Hennig Brandt's discovery of phosphorus (P) occurred during the early European colonization of the Chesapeake Bay region. Today, P, an essential nutrient on land and water alike, is one of the principal threats to the health of the bay. Despite widespread implementation of best management practices across the Chesapeake Bay watershed following the implementation in 2010 of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) to improve the health of the bay, P load reductions across the bay's 166,000‐km2 watershed have been uneven, and dissolved P loads have increased in a number of the bay's tributaries. As the midpoint of the 15‐yr TMDL process has now passed, some of the more stubborn sources of P must now be tackled. For nonpoint agricultural sources, strategies that not only address particulate P but also mitigate dissolved P losses are essential. Lingering concerns include legacy P stored in soils and reservoir sediments, mitigation of P in artificial drainage and stormwater from hotspots and converted farmland, manure management and animal heavy use areas, and critical source areas of P in agricultural landscapes. While opportunities exist to curtail transport of all forms of P, greater attention is required toward adapting P management to new hydrologic regimes and transport pathways imposed by climate change. Core Ideas At the midpoint of the Chesapeake TMDL, dissolved P is increasing in some tributaries. Lingering concerns include legacy P, artificial drainage, animal heavy use areas. Extreme events represent an acute risk to water quality.

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Section: Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus and the Chesapeake Bay: Lingering Issues and Emerging Concerns for Agriculture

Kleinman

Fanelli

Hirsch³

et al. 2019

J of Env Quality

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“…This phenomenon is spurring radical shifts in ecosystem dynamics, including biogeochemical cycling in soils and water bodies (Bhattachan et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these ditches are often connected to tidal creeks that drain into tidal salt marshes and larger tributaries such as rivers, bays, and subestuaries (Bhattachan et al. , Tully et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, extensive upland area will be lost rapidly in coming decades (Wasson et al 2013). This phenomenon is spurring radical shifts in ecosystem dynamics, including biogeochemical cycling in soils and water bodies (Bhattachan et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agricultural fields in coastal areas of the Atlantic Coastal Plain are bounded by ditches on one or more sides to allow for drainage (e.g., removing water from fields). However, these ditches are often connected to tidal creeks that drain into tidal salt marshes and larger tributaries such as rivers, bays, and subestuaries (Bhattachan et al 2018, Tully et al 2019a. Sea level rise can convert them into conduits for saltwater moving onto fields.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Saltwater intrusion affects nutrient concentrations in soil porewater and surface waters of coastal habitats

Weissman

Tully

2020

Ecosphere

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Coastal ecosystems are undergoing major biogeochemical shifts due to climate change and sea level rise. At the same time, agricultural fertilizer applications are increasing coastal nutrient inputs. In this study, we examine the potential impact of saltwater intrusion (SWI) on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in soil porewater and surface water of different habitats within the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Study sites are located along Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore and were monitored over three summers from 2016 to 2018. These sites encompass various habitats on the land–sea interface, consisting of healthy forests, intruded forests, abandoned fields, intruded fields, agricultural ditches, tidal creeks, and tidal salt marshes. Intruded fields were being actively farmed at the time of the study. Soil porewater and surface water grab samples were collected from the habitats and analyzed for electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved organic P (DOP), dissolved inorganic P in the form of soluble reactive P (SRP), dissolved inorganic N as ammonium‐N (NH4‐N), and total dissolved iron (TDFe). Electrical conductivity was greatest in the marshes (16.58 mS/cm averaged across all years) and did not significantly differ among intruded forests, intruded fields, and agricultural ditches. As a legacy of heavy fertilizer use, DOP concentrations exceeded 0.45 mg P/L in all habitats. Concentrations of inorganic N and P differed significantly by habitat. Concentrations of NH4‐N were significantly higher in salt marsh soil porewater than in any other habitat measured. Overall, SRP concentrations were the highest in the soil porewater of intruded fields and marshes and in the surface water of agricultural ditches (0.30, 0.29, and 0.33 mg P/L averaged across all years, respectively). These concentrations greatly exceeded recommended U.S. Environmental Protection Agency nutrient pollution thresholds for the region. In its oxidized state, dissolved iron can bind to SRP and prevent it from becoming bioavailable. However, TDFe concentrations in the ditches, tidal creeks, and marshes were too low to adequately buffer against SRP loss to downstream areas. As SWI moves salts inland and increases hydrologic connectivity across coastal landscapes, it is important to consider the mechanisms through which nutrients may be released from coastal soils and their potential to impact downstream water quality.

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Rapid deforestation of a coastal landscape driven by sea‐level rise and extreme events

Ury¹,

Yang

Wright³

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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Climate change is driving ecological shifts in coastal regions of the world, where low topographic relief makes ecosystems particularly vulnerable to sea‐level rise, salinization, storm surge, and other effects of global climate change. The consequences of rising water tables and salinity can penetrate well inland, and lead to particularly dramatic changes in freshwater forested wetlands dominated by tree species with low salt tolerance. The resulting loss of coastal forests could have significant implications to the coastal carbon cycle. We quantified the rates of vegetation change including land loss, forest loss, and shrubland expansion in North Carolina’s largest coastal wildlife refuge over 35 yr. Despite its protected status, and in the absence of any active forest management, 32% (31,600 hectares) of the refuge area has changed landcover classification during the study period. A total of 1,151 hectares of land was lost to the sea and ~19,300 hectares of coastal forest habitat was converted to shrubland or marsh habitat. As much as 11% of all forested cover in the refuge transitioned to a unique land cover type—“ghost forest”—characterized by standing dead trees and fallen tree trunks. The formation of this ghost forest transition state peaked prominently between 2011 and 2012, following Hurricane Irene and a 5‐yr drought, with 4,500 ± 990 hectares of ghost forest forming during that year alone. This is the first attempt to map and quantify coastal ghost forests using remote sensing. Forest losses were greatest in the eastern portion of the refuge closest to the Croatan and Pamlico Sounds, but also occurred much further inland in low‐elevation areas and alongside major canals. These unprecedented rates of deforestation and land cover change due to climate change may become the status quo for coastal regions worldwide, with implications for wetland function, wildlife habitat, and global carbon cycling.

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Evaluating the effects of land-use change and future climate change on vulnerability of coastal landscapes to saltwater intrusion

Cited by 50 publications

References 37 publications

Phosphorus and the Chesapeake Bay: Lingering Issues and Emerging Concerns for Agriculture

Phosphorus and the Chesapeake Bay: Lingering Issues and Emerging Concerns for Agriculture

Saltwater intrusion affects nutrient concentrations in soil porewater and surface waters of coastal habitats

Rapid deforestation of a coastal landscape driven by sea‐level rise and extreme events

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