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Landscape Change and Vegetation-Channel Interactions in an Estuarine System

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Abstract

We examine the extent of land cover change and sedimentation within the Tijuana River Estuary due to the significant development within Mexico that has increased sedimentation that could alter estuary elevation. We examined aerial imagery to determine major changes in estuary land cover over time (1995–2016), examined sedimentation patterns by calculating vegetation roughness of two dominant lower marsh species: Salicornia pacifica and Spartina foliosa and directly measured sediment deposition within plant stands at multiple elevations and determined how vegetation may be interrupting flow and affecting deposition. Upper elevation scrub has increased slightly through time while marsh area has decreased. Plant roughness for S. foliosa was significantly higher and, based on modeling, each species creates different water surface and channel velocity conditions that could alter deposition patterns. Vegetation inventories and sediment size deposition analysis within vegetation patches show that S. foliosa occupies those areas closest to the channel, is most frequently inundated, and has the smallest sediment sizes present. Sediment size increases with distance from the channel and where it becomes more commonly dominated by S. pacifica. These areas, typically 0.5-1 m above channel bottom elevation, experience the highest volume of sediment deposition. Modeling and direct measurements of deposition indicate that water velocity is impacted by plant stands and deposition is occurring in areas close to the channel. Because these deposition patterns may eventually result in changes in estuary elevation, continual monitoring should be carried out to determine how vegetation-induced sediment behavior, combined with anthropogenic land-use change and sea level rise, influence estuary elevation and land cover.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Tyler Burk, John Estrada, Sidney Williams, Darbi Berry, Jamie Berry, Monica Almeida, and Jeff Crooks (Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve) for help in the field and conducting GIS analysis. Funding was provided the SIUE STEP grant program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Department of Environmental Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 1 Hairpin Drive, Edwardsville, IL, 62026, USA

    Adriana E. Martinez

  2. Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA, 92110, USA

    Suzanne C. Walther

  3. Department of Geography, California State University, Sacramento, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA, 95819, USA

    Jennifer E. Kusler

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 1 Hairpin Drive, Edwardsville, IL, 62026, USA

    Ben K. Greenfield

  5. Department of Geography, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 1 Hairpin Drive, Edwardsville, IL, 62026, USA

    Seth Kannarr

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  1. Adriana E. Martinez
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Correspondence to Adriana E. Martinez.

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Martinez, A.E., Walther, S.C., Kusler, J.E. et al. Landscape Change and Vegetation-Channel Interactions in an Estuarine System. J Coast Conserv 24, 2 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-019-00723-w

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