Estuaries

, Volume 28, Issue 4, pp 519–528 | Cite as

Effects of sediment slurry enrichment on salt marsh rehabilitation: Plant and soil responses over seven years

  • Matthew G. Slocum
  • Irving A. Mendelssohn
  • Nathan L. Kuhn
Article
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Abstract

In deltaic marshes, mineral sediment promotes positive elevation change and counters subsidence and sea level rise. In many such marshes sediment deficits result in wetland loss. One new way to address sediment deficiency is to supply marshes with sediments in a slurry that deposits the sediment in a thin layer over a large area. The long-term effects of this strategy are poorly understood. In a rapidly submerging,Spartina alterniflora salt marsh, we tested how different amounts of sediment ameliorated the effects of sea level rise and subsidence over 7 yr (1992–1998). Sediment slurry enrichment likely affected plants and soils by two mechanisms. It increased elevation and soil bulk density, leading to increased plant vigor and soil condition. These effects were long lasting, such that by 1998 areas receiving moderate amounts of sediment (5–12 cm relative elevation) had better plant vigor and soil condition compared to areas not receiving sediment (55% cover versus 20%; bulk densities of 0.4–1.0 g cm−3 versus 0.2 g cm−3; 0 mM hydrogen sulfide versus > 1.0 mM). The sediment slurry also had high nutrient content, which resulted in a pulse of growth, especially in areas receiving the most sediment (areas > 12 cm relative elevation initially had >90% cover and canopy heights >1.6 m). This nutrient-induced growth spurt was short lived and faded after 3 yr, at which point the long lasting effects of increased elevation probably became the dominant factor promoting plant vigor and soil condition. Moderate levels of sediment generated the most beneficial and long lasting effects to the vegetation and soils. This degree of sediment slurry addition countered the effects of subsidence and sea level rise, but not so much as to surpass the intertidal position to whichS. alterniflora is best adapted.

Keywords

Salt Marsh Hydrogen Sulfide Percent Cover Canopy Height Deposition Zone 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Literature Cited

  1. Barras, J., S. Beville, D. Britsch, S. Hartley, S. Hawes, J. Johnston, P. Kemp, Q. Kinler, A. Martucci, J. Porthouse, D. Reed, K. Roy, S. Sapkota, and J. Suhayda. 2003. Historical and projected coastal Louisiana land changes: 1978–2050. U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 03-334. http://www. nwrc.usgs.gov/special/NewHistoricalland.pdfGoogle Scholar
  2. Baumann, R. H., J. W. Day, Jr., andC. A. Miller. 1984. Mississippi deltaic wetland survival: Sedimentation versus coastal submergence.Science 224:1093–1095.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Brady, N. C. andR. R. Weil. 1996. The Nature and Properties of Soils, 11th edition. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New JerseyGoogle Scholar
  4. Buresh, R. J., R. D. Delaune, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1980. Nitrogen and phosphorus distribution and utilization bySpartina alterniflora in a Louisiana Gulf Coast marsh.Estuaries 3:111–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Cahoon, D. R. andJ. H. Cowan, Jr. 1988. Environmental impacts and regulatory policy implications of spray disposal of dredge material in Louisiana wetlands.Coastal Management 16:341–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Costa-Pierce, B. A. andM. P. Weinstein. 2002. Use of dredged materials for coastal restoration.Ecological Engineering 19:181–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Dawes, C. J. 1998. Marine Botany, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York.Google Scholar
  8. Day, J. W., D. Pont, P. F. Hensel, andC. Ibanez. 1995. Impacts of sea-level rise on deltas in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean—The importance of pulsing events to sustainability.Estuaries 18:636–647.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. DeLaune, R. D., R. J. Buresh, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1979. Relationship of soil properties to standing crop biomass ofSpartina alterniflora in a Louisiana marsh.Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science 8:477–487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. DeLaune, R. D., S. R. Pezeshki, J. H. Pardue, J. H. Whitcomb, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1990. Some influences of sediment addition to a deteriorating salt marsh in the Mississippi River deltaic plain: A pilot study.Journal of Coastal Research 6:181–188.Google Scholar
  11. Dunbar, J. B., L. D. Britsch, and E. B. Kemp, Iii. 1992. Land loss rates. Report 3: Louisiana coastal plain. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Technical Report GL-90-2, Vicksburg, Mississippi.Google Scholar
  12. Edwards, K. R. andC. E. Proffitt. 2003. Comparison of wetland structural characteristics between created and natural salt marshes in southwest Louisiana, USA.Wetlands 23:344–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Ford, M. A., D. D. Cahoon, andJ. C. Lynch. 1999. Restoring marsh elevation in a rapidly subsiding salt marsh by thin layer deposition of dredged material.Ecological Engineering 12:189–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2001. Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
  15. King, G. M., M. J. Klug, R. G. Wiegert, andA. G. Chalmers. 1982. Relation of soil water movement and sulfide concentration toSpartina alterniflora production in a Georgia salt marsh.Science 218:61–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Koch, M. S. andI. A. Mendelssohn. 1989. Sulphide as a soil phytotoxin: Differential responses in two marsh species.Journal of Ecology 77:565–578.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Koch, M. S., I. A. Mendelssohn, andK. L. McKee. 1990. Mechanism for the hydrogen sulfide-induced growth limitation in wetland macrophytes.Limnology and Oceanography 35:399–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. McManus, J. 2002. Deltaic responses to changes in river regimes.Marine Chemistry 79:155–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Mendelssohn, I. A. andN. L. Kuhn. 2003. Sediment subsidy: Effects on soil-plant responses in a rapidly submerging coastal salt marsh.Ecological Engineering 21:115–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Mendelssohn, I. A. andK. L. McKee. 1988.Spartina alterniflora die-back in Louisiana: Time-course investigation of soil water-logging effects.Journal of Ecology 76:509–521.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Mendelssohn, I. A., K. L. McKee, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1981. Oxygen deficiency inSpartina alterniflora roots: Metabolic adaptation to anoxia.Science 214:439–441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Mendelssohn, I. A. andJ. T. Morris. 2000. Eco-physiological constraints on the primary productivity ofSpartina alterniflora, p. 59–80.In M. P. Weinstein and D. A. Kreeger (eds.), Concepts and Controversies of Tidal Marsh Ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
  23. Minello, T. J. 2000. Temporal development of salt marsh value for nekton and epifauna: Utilization of dredged material marshes in Galveston Bay, Texas, USA.Wetlands Ecology and Management 8:327–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Minello, T. J. andJ. W. Webb, Jr. 1997. Use of natural and createdSpartina alterniflora salt marshes by fishery species and other aquatic fauna in Galveston Bay, Texas, USA.Marine Ecology Program Series 151:165–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Mitsch, W. J. andJ. G. Gosselink. 2000. Wetlands. 3rd edition Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.Google Scholar
  26. Morton, R. A. and N. A. Purcell. 2001. Wetland subsidence, fault reactivation, and hydrocarbon production in the U. S. Gulf Coast region. U.S. Geological Survey, Fact Sheet 091-01. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs091-01Google Scholar
  27. Nyman, J. A., R. D. DeLaune, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1990. Wetland soil formation in the rapidly subsiding Mississippi River deltaic plain: Mineral and organic matter relationships.Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 31:57–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Patrick, W. H. andR. Wyatt. 1964. Soil nitrogen loss as a result of alternate submergence and drying.Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 28:647–653.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Penland, S. andK. E. Ramsey. 1990. Relative sea level rise in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico 1908–1988.Journal of Coastal Research 6:323–342.Google Scholar
  30. Proffitt, C. E. andJ. Young. 1999. Salt marsh plant colonization, growth, and dominance on large mudflats created using dredged sediments, p. 218–228.In L. P. Rozas, J. A. Nyman, C. E. Proffitt, N. N. Rabalais, D. J. Reed, and R. E. Turner (eds.), Proceedings. Recent Research in Coastal Louisiana: Natural System Function and Response to Human Influence. Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Google Scholar
  31. Reed, D. J. andD. R. Cahoon. 1992. The relationship between marsh surface topography, hydroperiod, and growth ofSpartina alterniflora in a deteriorating Louisiana salt marsh.Journal of Coastal Research 8:77–87.Google Scholar
  32. Reimold, R. J., M. A. Hardisky, and P. C. Adams. 1978. The effects of smothering aSpartina alterniflora salt marsh with dredged material. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Technical Report D-78-38, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
  33. SAS Institute, Inc. 1990. SAS/STAT User’s Guide, version 6, 4th edition SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina.Google Scholar
  34. Shafer, D. J. andW. J. Streever. 2000. A comparison of 28 natural and dredged material salt marshes in Texas with an emphasis on geomorphological variables.Wetlands Ecology and Management 8:353–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Stanley, D. J. andA. G. Warne. 1993. Nile Delta—Recent geological evolution and human impact.Science 260:628–634.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Streever, W. J. 2000.Spartina alterniflora marshes on dredged materials: A critical review of the ongoing debate over success.Wetlands Ecology and Management 8:295–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Swenson, E. M. andR. E. Turner. 1987. Spoil banks: Effects on a coastal marsh water-level regime.Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 24:599–609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Turner, R. E. 1997. Wetland loss in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Multiple working hypotheses.Estuaries 20:1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 1979. Methods for chemical analysis of water and wastes. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio.Google Scholar
  40. Wadhams, P. andW. Munk. 2004. Ocean freshening, sea level rising, sea ice melting.Geophysical Research Letters 31:L11311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Wilber, P. 1993. Environmental Effects of Dredging Technical Notes: Managing of dredged material via thin-layer disposal in costal marshes. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Technical Note EEDP-01-32. http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/dots/pdfs/eedp01-32.pdfGoogle Scholar
  42. Wilsey, B. J., K. L. McKee, andI. A. Mendelssohn. 1992. Effects of increased elevation and macro- and micronutrient additions onSpartina alterniflora transplant success in salt-marsh dieback areas in Louisiana.Environmental Management 16:505–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Yang, S. L., I. M. Belkin, A. I. Belkina, Q. Y. Zhao, J. Zhu, andP. Ding. 2003. Delta response to decline in sediment supply from the Yangtze River: Evidence of the recent four decades and expectations for the next half-century.Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 57:689–699.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Estuarine Research Federation 2005

Authors and Affiliations

  • Matthew G. Slocum
    • 1
  • Irving A. Mendelssohn
    • 1
  • Nathan L. Kuhn
    • 1
  1. 1.Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute School of the Coast and EnvironmentLouisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge

Personalised recommendations