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Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change: an Analysis of Inundation, Marsh Elevation, and Plant Communities in a Tidal Freshwater Marsh

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Abstract

Tidal freshwater marshes around the world face an uncertain future with increasing water levels, salinity intrusion, and temperature and precipitation shifts associated with climate change. Due to the characteristic abundance of both annual and perennial species in these habitats, even small increases in early growing season water levels may reduce seed germination, seedling establishment, and late-season plant cover, decreasing overall species abundance and productivity. This study looks at the distribution of tidal freshwater marsh plant species at Jug Bay, Patuxent River (Chesapeake Bay, USA), with respect to intertidal elevation, and the relationship between inundation early in the growing season and peak plant cover to better understand the potential impacts and marsh responses to increased inundation. Results show that 62% of marsh plant species are distributed at elevations around mean high water and are characterized by narrow elevation ranges in contrast with species growing at lower elevations. In addition, the frequency and duration of inundation and water depth to which the marsh was exposed to, prior to the growing season (March 15–May 15), negatively affected peak plant cover (measured in end-June to mid-July) after a threshold value was reached. For example, 36 and 55% decreases in peak plant cover were observed after duration of inundation threshold values of 25 and 36% was reached for annual and perennial species, respectively. Overall, this study suggests that plant communities of tidal freshwater marshes are sensitive to even small systematic changes in inundation, which may affect species abundance and richness as well as overall wetland resiliency to climate change.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Maryland Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR-MD) for providing the resources and facilitating the establishment and continued sampling of all sentinel site monitoring infrastructure through the present day. Special thanks go to CBNERR-MD staff, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary staff, and Friends of Jug Bay volunteers who helped year after year with the collection of data, including Lindsay Carroll, Cathy Ervin, Becky Lang, Julia Pusak, Katrina Keller, Lindsay Hollister, Heather Baden, Chris Snow, Jenny Allen, Amanda Garzio-Hadzick, Erica Loudermilk, and Regina Kreger. The authors wish to thank Jay Howard (NOAA NGS) for his help in processing the water level data. Special recognition goes to Erica Loudermilk for her field and data analytical contribution regarding species and marsh elevation while doing a summer research internship at Jug Bay during the summer of 2015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Wrighton Road, Lothian, MD, 20711, USA

    P. Delgado

  2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, 1315 East-West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA

    P. Hensel

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    A. Baldwin

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  1. P. Delgado
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Correspondence to P. Delgado.

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Communicated by Cathleen Wigand

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Delgado, P., Hensel, P. & Baldwin, A. Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change: an Analysis of Inundation, Marsh Elevation, and Plant Communities in a Tidal Freshwater Marsh. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 25–35 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0342-y

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