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In Situ Burning Restores the Ecological Function and Structure of an Oil-Impacted Coastal Marsh

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Abstract

As the use of in situ burning for oil spill remediation in coastal wetlands accelerates, the capacity of this procedure to restore the ecological structure and function of oil-impacted wetlands becomes increasingly important. Thus, our research focused on evaluating the functional and structural recovery of a coastal marsh in South Louisiana to an in situ burn following a Hurricane Katrina-induced oil spill. Permanent sampling plots were set up to monitor marsh recovery in the oiled and burned areas as well as non-oiled and non-burned (reference) marshes. Plots were monitored for species composition, stem density, above- and belowground productivity, marsh resiliency, soil chemistry, soil residual oil, and organic matter decomposition. The burn removed the majority of the oil from the marsh, and structurally the marsh recovered rapidly. Plant biomass and species composition returned to control levels within 9 months; however, species richness remained somewhat lower in the oiled and burned areas compared to the reference areas. Recovery of ecological function was also rapid following the in situ burn. Aboveground and belowground plant productivity recovered within one growing season, and although decomposition rates were initially higher in the oiled areas, over time they became equivalent to those in reference sites. Also, marsh resiliency, i.e., the rate of recovery from our applied disturbances, was not affected by the in situ burn. We conclude that in situ burning is an effective way to remove oil and allow ecosystem recovery in coastal marshes.

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Acknowledgments

Louisiana Sea Grant, a part of the National Sea Grant College Program, and the Louisiana Oil Spill Research and Development Program, via a grant from Chevron, provided funding for this project. Don Davis of the Louisiana Oil Spill Research & Development Program and Jim Meyers of Chevron were instrumental in initiating the research following the in situ burn. Sean Graham, Camille Stagg, Carey Perry, Jane Buck, Will Estis, and Allison Music aided in sample collection and processing, and Brandon Edwards performed the elevation survey. Arthur Dillon and Ernie Petrovich of Chevron Pipe Line Company provided logistical support throughout the project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Joseph Baustian, Irving Mendelssohn & Qianxin Lin

  2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Habitat Conservation/Restoration Center, Silver Springs, MD, USA

    John Rapp

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  1. Joseph Baustian
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  2. Irving Mendelssohn
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  3. Qianxin Lin
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Correspondence to Joseph Baustian.

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Baustian, J., Mendelssohn, I., Lin, Q. et al. In Situ Burning Restores the Ecological Function and Structure of an Oil-Impacted Coastal Marsh. Environmental Management 46, 781–789 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9549-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9549-4

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