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Fertilization Effects on Elevation Change and Belowground Carbon Balance in a Long Island Sound Tidal Marsh

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Abstract

We report the results of a 5-year fertilization experiment in a central Long Island Sound salt marsh, aimed at understanding the impacts of high nutrient loads on marsh elevational processes. Fertilization with nitrogen led to some significant changes in marsh processes, specifically increases in aboveground primary production and in CO2 fluxes from the soil. However, neither nitrogen nor phosphorus fertilization led to elevation loss (relative to controls), reduced soil carbon, or a decrease in belowground primary production, all of which have been proposed as links between elevated nutrient loads and marsh drowning. Our data suggest that high nutrient levels increase gross carbon loss from the sediment, but that this is compensated for by other processes, leading to no net deleterious effect of nutrient loading on carbon storage or on marsh stability with respect to sea level rise.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (grant LI-97100801), with additional support from the Connecticut Sea Grant program (through the Yale Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies), a Carpenter-Sperry Environmental Research Grant, and a Sounds Conservancy grant from the Quebec-Labrador Foundation. We thank the Jaeger and Reed families for their generous permission to carry out this research on their property. The manuscript benefited from comments from two anonymous reviewers. Don Cahoon of the US Geological Survey provided valuable guidance and support on experimental design and SET use, along with helpful comments on the manuscript. Our research benefited from helpful conversations with Scott Warren and Ron Rozsa. Jim Lynch of the US Geological Survey assisted greatly in SET installation and training. Philippe Hensel of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration provided advice on statistical analysis of SET data. Jim Morris and Karen Sundberg of the University of South Carolina provided advice on field techniques. Jim Morris and the Plum Island Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site allowed access to unpublished productivity data from the LTER database. Harry Yamalis and Kristen Bellantuono of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection expedited the process of obtaining permits. Many students assisted with field and lab work, including: Joanna Carey, Janny Choy, Jessica Darling, Kevin Lauterbach, Manuel Mavila, Azalea Mitch, Sally Nunnally, Tina O’Connell, Nadav Tanners, Matthew Chmielewski, and Kate Woodruff. Lab supervision and training were provided by Jonas Karosas and Helmut Ernstberger.

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  1. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, 370 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Shimon C. Anisfeld & Troy D. Hill

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  1. Shimon C. Anisfeld
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Correspondence to Shimon C. Anisfeld.

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Anisfeld, S.C., Hill, T.D. Fertilization Effects on Elevation Change and Belowground Carbon Balance in a Long Island Sound Tidal Marsh. Estuaries and Coasts 35, 201–211 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9440-4

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