Global climate changes recorded in coastal wetland sediments: Empirical observations linked to theoretical predictions

Kolker, Alexander S.; Kirwan, Matthew L.; Goodbred, S. L.; Cochran, J. Kirk

doi:10.1029/2010gl043874

Cited by 36 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Filling this knowledge gap by further discerning the nature and relative importance of biogeomorphic drivers of marsh shoreline erosion could guide prioritization and investments. Our approach illustrates the usefulness of reduced complexity models to explore questions that fall at disciplinary interfaces and the need for similar investigations to help advance understanding of biogeomorphic systems over ecological and evolutionary time scales (Corenblit et al, , ; Kolker et al, ; Larsen et al, , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Clonal Vegetation Patterns Mediate Shoreline Erosion

Bernik

Eppinga

Kolker

et al. 2018

Geophysical Research Letters

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Understanding processes governing coastal erosion is becoming increasingly urgent because highly valued ecosystems like salt marshes are being lost at accelerating rates. Here we examine the role of biotic interactions in mediating marsh shoreline erosion under wind wave forces. We parameterized analytical and cellular automata models with field data to assess how soil heterogeneity among clonal patches of an ecosystem engineer mediates spatiotemporal patterns of marsh shoreline erosion. We found that spatial heterogeneity accelerates erosion, especially when it is organized in patches of intermediate size. Patch size also mediated interannual variability in erosion and strongly controlled shoreline roughness. Our results indicate that shoreline roughness can be diagnostic of internal biological structure and spatiotemporal variability in erosion. Hence, measures of shoreline roughness may inform the timeframe and spatial extent needed to accurately monitor erosion. These findings highlight how the physical response of marsh shorelines to wind wave erosion is a function of landscape ecology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Clonal Vegetation Patterns Mediate Shoreline Erosion

Bernik

Eppinga

Kolker

et al. 2018

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…Typically, the feedback between accretion rates and MSL enables low marsh elevations to stabilize relative to SLR (Kirwan et al 2016a). For example, increased inundation led to increased mineral deposition on undisturbed marshes in Long Island, NY, driving higher accretion rates and promoting marsh resilience (Kolker et al 2010). When elevation decreases within the range supporting peak productivity of low marsh plants, organic accretion and increased carbon storage also enable marsh elevation to stabilize relative to sea level, as demonstrated in New England marshes in Cape Cod, MA (Gonneea et al 2019).…”

Section: Long-term Responses Of Pie Marshes To Slrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling long‐term salt marsh response to sea level rise in the sediment‐deficient Plum Island Estuary, MA

Langston¹,

Vinent

Kirwan³

2020

Limnology & Oceanography

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An accelerating global rate of sea level rise (SLR), coupled with direct human impacts to coastal watersheds and shorelines, threatens the continued survival of salt marshes. We developed a new landscape‐scale numerical model of salt marsh evolution and applied it to marshes in the Plum Island Estuary (Massachusetts, U.S.A.), a sediment‐deficient system bounded by steep uplands. To capture complexities of vertical accretion across the marsh platform, we employed a novel approach that incorporates spatially variable suspended sediment concentrations and biomass of multiple plant species as functions of elevation and distance from sediment sources. The model predicts a stable areal extent of Plum Island marshes for a variety of SLR scenarios through 2100, where limited marsh drowning is compensated by limited marsh migration into adjacent uplands. Nevertheless, the model predicts widespread conversion of high marsh vegetation to low marsh vegetation, and accretion deficits that indicate eventual marsh drowning. Although sediment‐deficient marshes bounded by steep uplands are considered extremely vulnerable to SLR, our results highlight that marshes with high elevation capital can maintain their areal extent for decades to centuries even under conditions in which they will inevitably drown.

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“…Using radioisotope analysis, Kolker et al (2010) demonstrated that accretion and mineral deposition rates in physiographically diverse salt marshes on Long Island, NY, USA accelerated at a rate comparable to the rate of global sea level rise acceleration in the twentieth century. This finding is supported by other studies highlighting that moderate increases in inundation and temperatures may increase sediment trapping and plant productivity, allowing marshes to maintain their elevations with higher water levels (Morris et al 2002;Kirwan and Mudd 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Declining Role of Organic Matter in New England Salt Marshes

Carey

Moran

Kelly

et al. 2015

Estuaries and Coasts

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The Northeast USA is experiencing severe impacts of a changing climate, including increased winter temperatures and accelerated relative sea level rise (RSLR). The sediment-poor, organic-rich nature of many Southern New England salt marshes makes them particularly vulnerable to these changes. In order to assess how marsh accretion has changed over time, we returned to Narragansett Bay, RI where salt marsh vertical accretion rates were documented almost 30 years ago. Using radionuclide tracers ( 210 Pb and 137 Cs), we observe no significant change in overall accretion rates (0.27-0.69 cm year −1 ) compared to historical averages (0.24-0.60 cm year −1 ), but we document a shift in how these marshes maintain elevation. Organic matter now plays a smaller role in contributing to vertical accretion across all study sites, declining by 22 % on average. We attribute this reduction to potentially higher decomposition rates fueled by higher water temperature. Inorganic matter also contributes less to accretion (declining by 44 % on average at marshes located more internal to the estuary), likely due to diminishing sediment supply in this region. With organic and inorganic solids accounting for less of the total accretion, several of the marshes are experiencing symptoms of swelling, with water and porespace contributing more towards accretion compared to historical values. Accretion rates (0.27-0.45 cm year −1 ) at these organic-rich (>40 % sediment organic matter) marshes are predominantly lower than the current (30 years) rate of RSLR (0.41±0.07 cm year −1 ). These results, combined with the increased rate of RSLR and the hardened shorelines inhibiting landward migration, call into question the longterm survivability of these marshes.

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Global climate changes recorded in coastal wetland sediments: Empirical observations linked to theoretical predictions

Cited by 36 publications

References 32 publications

Clonal Vegetation Patterns Mediate Shoreline Erosion

Clonal Vegetation Patterns Mediate Shoreline Erosion

Modeling long‐term salt marsh response to sea level rise in the sediment‐deficient Plum Island Estuary, MA

The Declining Role of Organic Matter in New England Salt Marshes

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