Restoring a degraded marsh using thin layer sediment placement: Short term effects on soil physical and biogeochemical properties

VanZomeren, Christine M.; Berkowitz, Jacob F.; Piercy, Candice D.; White, John R.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.05.012

Cited by 32 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Also, it is unlikely that rhizome fragments of clonal marsh species were present in the sediments added to the degraded marsh because those sediments were dredged from the bottom of the adjacent canal. Rapid colonization (within six months) in a New Jersey salt marsh restored with sediment addition was attributed to rhizome recruitment (VanZomeren et al 2018). At our site, S. alterniflora was the primary colonizing species and initially established during the first growing season through seed germination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Wetlands that have been restored using sediment addition include degraded salt marshes (Slocum et al 2005;Croft et al 2006;VanZomeren et al 2018), marshes affected by large-scale vegetation dieback following drought (Schrift et al 2008;Stagg and Mendelssohn 2010), tidal wetlands impacted by urban development (Haltiner et al 1997), and deteriorating brackish marshes (La Peyre et al 2009). The influence of surface elevation on soil physical and chemical properties (e.g., bulk density, reductionoxidation potential, nutrient concentration) in sediment-restored marshes has been noted (Croft et al 2006;Stagg and Mendelssohn 2011;Kongchum et al 2017;VanZomeren et al 2018). Soil characteristics in turn influence the establishment and growth of restored marsh plant communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant Community Establishment in a Coastal Marsh Restored Using Sediment Additions

2019

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A goal of wetland restoration is the establishment of resilient plant communities that persist under a variety of environmental conditions. We investigated the role of intraspecific and interspecific variation on plant community establishment in a brackish marsh that had been restored by sediment addition. Plant growth, sediment accretion, and surface elevation change in planted, not-planted, and nearby reference sites (treatments) were compared. Four perennial macrophytes were planted: Bolboschoenus robustus, Distichlis spicata, Phragmites australis, and Schoenoplectus californicus. There was 100% survival of the planted species, and all exhibited rapid vegetative spread. Intraspecific variation in stem height and cover was identified, and interspecific comparisons also indicated differences in species cover. Treatment comparisons revealed that final total cover at not-planted sites was equivalent to that at reference sites, and was highest at planted sites where P. australis became dominant. Species richness was initially highest at the reference sites, but final richness was equivalent among treatments. Soil surface elevation was greater at planted compared to not-planted and reference sites. Because of the rapid cover and increased surface elevation generated by planted species, the resiliency of restored coastal marshes may be enhanced by plantings in areas where natural colonization is slow and subsidence is high.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Community Establishment in a Coastal Marsh Restored Using Sediment Additions

2019

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“…, VanZomeren et al. ), but to our knowledge have not been applied specifically to sites of peat collapse.…”

Section: Future Research Directions and Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These mass wasting processes begin when interior ponds reach a critical width (which varies according to the local tidal range), causing edge soils to move downslope by gravity, slowly expanding the pond (Mariotti 2016). Restoration techniques such as thin layer placement of dredge material have been successful at coastal wetland locations with an elevation deficit (Croft et al 2006, VanZomeren et al 2018), but to our knowledge have not been applied specifically to sites of peat collapse.…”

Section: Future Research Directions and Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a mechanistic understanding of “peat collapse” and its potential contribution to coastal wetland loss

Chambers

Steinmuller

Breithaupt

2019

Ecology

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Coastal wetlands are susceptible to loss in both health and extent via stressors associated with global climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. Peat collapse may represent an additional phenomenon contributing to coastal wetland loss in organic‐rich soils through rapid vertical elevation decline. However, the term “peat collapse” has been inconsistently used in the literature, leading to ambiguities regarding the mechanisms, timing, and spatial extent of its contribution to coastal wetland loss. For example, it is unclear whether peat collapse is distinct from general subsidence, or what biogeochemical changes or sequence of events may constitute peat collapse. A critical analysis of peer‐reviewed literature related to peat collapse was supplemented with fundamental principles of soil physics and biogeochemistry to develop a conceptual framework for coastal wetland peat collapse. We propose that coastal wetland peat collapse is a specific type of shallow subsidence unique to highly organic soils in which a loss of soil strength and structural integrity contributes to a decline in elevation, over the course of a few months to a few years, below the lower limit for emergent plant growth and natural recovery. We further posit that coastal wetland peat collapse is driven by severe stress or death of the vegetation, which compromises the supportive structure roots provide to low‐density organic soils and shifts the carbon balance of the ecosystem toward a net source, as mineralization is no longer offset by sequestration. Under these conditions, four mechanisms may contribute to peat collapse: (1) compression of gas‐filled pore spaces within the soil during dry‐down conditions; (2) deconsolidation of excessively waterlogged peat, followed by transport; (3) compaction of aerenchyma tissue in wetland plant roots, and possibly collapse of root channels; and (4) acceleration of soil mineralization due to the addition of labile carbon (dying roots), oxygen (decreased flooding), nutrients (eutrophication), or sulfate (saltwater intrusion). Scientists and land managers should focus efforts on monitoring vegetation health across the coastal landscape as an indicator for peat collapse vulnerability and move toward codifying the term “peat collapse” in the scientific literature. Once clarified, the contribution of peat collapse to coastal wetland loss can be evaluated.

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“…Wilbur (1992) defined thin layer placement as sediment application to a thickness that does not change the ecological function of the receiving habitat. Thickness of a few centimeters to 0.5 m have been described as thin layer placement (VanZomeren et al 2018). Studies documenting the ecological effects of mineral sediment placement in marsh environments are summarized within Ray (2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thin layer placement of sediments for restoring ecological function to submerging salt marshes : a quantitative review of scientific literature

VanZomeren¹,

Piercy²

2020

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PURPOSE:The inundation of salt marshes, due in part to sea level rise, can result in elevation loss and a corresponding reduction in marsh ecological function. Several small-scale marsh restoration pilot projects have involved the addition of a thin layer of sediment to offset excessive inundation caused by loss of salt marsh elevation and resulting submergence. However, a comprehensive review, as well as a synthesis of project designs and the effects of sediment additions on ecological function, is lacking. This technical note reviews the impacts of thin layer placement of sediment on salt marsh ecological function and will serve as a resource for salt marsh restoration projects utilizing thin layer placement of sediments.

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Restoring a degraded marsh using thin layer sediment placement: Short term effects on soil physical and biogeochemical properties

Cited by 32 publications

References 46 publications

Plant Community Establishment in a Coastal Marsh Restored Using Sediment Additions

Plant Community Establishment in a Coastal Marsh Restored Using Sediment Additions

Toward a mechanistic understanding of “peat collapse” and its potential contribution to coastal wetland loss

Thin layer placement of sediments for restoring ecological function to submerging salt marshes : a quantitative review of scientific literature

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