Accretion, Subsidence, and Sea-level Rise
Sediment deposition, plant growth, decomposition, and subsidence are
measured in region-wide field studies to complement laboratory experiments. Data
are compared to local rates of sea-level rise to determine the potential for
coastal marsh submergence.
Several
innovative field methods are employed for this program. Surface accretionary
processes are measured from artificial marker horizons. To minimize disruption
of these horizons during coring, we use a cryogenic coring apparatus that
freezes the marsh, allowing the removal of only a small segment of the substrate
while still maintaining soil stratigraphy. Surface elevation change is measured
with a Surface Elevation
Table (SET). A benchmark pipe is driven into the marsh soil to a depth
of 3-6 m and forms the base for the SET. Changes in elevation of the marsh
surface relative to the bottom of the benchmark pipe are measured by lowering
pins from the SET to the marsh surface. This technique incorporates both surface
and subsurface processes occurring between the surface and the bottom of the
pipe. The difference in rates between the SET and the marker horizon provides
an estimate of the rate of subsurface processes or what we call shallow subsidence.
Our findings indicate that the assumption of a 1:1 relationship between
vertical accretion and surface elevation change is too simplistic a
generalization of the complex interactions between accretionary and substrate
processes. In many marsh types, particularly those with highly organic or
deteriorating mineral substrates, surface elevation change is lower than the
vertical accretion rate. In some cases, the two processes appear to be
completely decoupled. Consequently, the potential for coastal marsh submergence
is often being underestimated and should be expressed as an elevation deficit
based on direct measures of surface elevation change rather than accretion
deficits. These findings also indicate the need for greater understanding of
the influence of subsurface and small-scale hydrologic processes on marsh
surface elevation.
Research
- Interaction Between Sea-level Rise and Vertical Accretion of
Marshes in the Southeastern United States (Dr. Karen L. Mckee)
- Response of Coastal Ecosystems to Sea-level Rise, Subsidence and
Accretion: Assessing Relevative Elevation Changes and Management Options (Dr. James B. Grace)
- Vulnerability of Managed Federal Lands to Sea-level Rise (Dr. Thomas W. Doyle)
Return to Wetland
Ecosystem