Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Contrasting Decadal-Scale Changes in Elevation and Vegetation in Two Long Island Sound Salt Marshes

  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Northeastern US salt marshes face multiple co-stressors, including accelerating rates of relative sea level rise (RSLR), elevated nutrient inputs, and low sediment supplies. In order to evaluate how marsh surface elevations respond to such factors, we used surface elevation tables (SETs) and surface elevation pins to measure changes in marsh surface elevation in two eastern Long Island Sound salt marshes, Barn Island and Mamacoke marshes. We compare marsh elevation change at these two systems with recent rates of RSLR and find evidence of differences between the two sites; Barn Island is maintaining its historic rate of elevation gain (2.3 ± 0.24 mm year−1 from 2003 to 2013) and is no longer keeping pace with RSLR, while Mamacoke shows evidence of a recent increase in rates (4.2 ± 0.52 mm year−1 from 1994 to 2014) to maintain its elevation relative to sea level. In addition to data on short-term elevation responses at these marshes, both sites have unusually long and detailed data on historic vegetation species composition extending back more than half a century. Over this study period, vegetation patterns track elevation change relative to sea levels, with the Barn Island plant community shifting towards those plants that are found at lower elevations and the Mamacoke vegetation patterns showing little change in plant composition. We hypothesize that the apparent contrasting trend in marsh elevation at the sites is due to differences in sediment availability, salinity, and elevation capital. Together, these two systems provide critical insight into the relationships between marsh elevation, high marsh plant community, and changing hydroperiods. Our results highlight that not all marshes in Southern New England may be responding to accelerated rates of RSLR in the same manner.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bellet, L. 1999. Impacts of relative sea level rise on Connecticut tidal marsh vegetation patterns and microrelief. New London: MA thesis, Connecticut College Department of Botany.

  • Bernhardt, E., J. Barber, J. Pippen, L. Taneva, J. Andrews, and W. Schlesinger. 2006. Long-term effects of free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) on soil respiration. Biogeochemistry 77: 91–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boon, J.D. 2012. Evidence of sea level acceleration at U.S. and Canadian tide stations, Atlantic Coast, North America. Journal of Coastal Research 28(6): 1437–1445.

  • Bricker-Urso, S., S.W. Nixon, J.K. Cochran, D.J. Hirschberg, and C. Hunt. 1989. Accretion rates and sediment accumulation in Rhode Island salt marshes. Estuaries 12: 300–317.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cahoon, D.R. 2006. A review of major storm impacts on coastal wetland elevations. Estuaries and Coasts 29: 889–898.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahoon, D.R., and G.R. Guntenspergen. 2010. Climate change, sea-level rise, and coastal wetlands. National Wetlands Newsletter 32: 8–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cahoon, D.R., J.C. Lynch, B.C. Perez, B. Segura, R.D. Holland, C. Stelly, G. Stephenson, and P. Hensel. 2002. High-precision measurements of wetland sediment elevation: II. The rod surface elevation table. Journal of Sedimentary Research 72: 734–739.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, V. 1940. Succession on the New England salt marshes. Ecology 21: 279–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craft, C. 2007. Freshwater input structures soil properties, vertical accretion, and nutrient accumulation of Georgia and US tidal marshes. Limnology and Oceanography 52: 1220–1230.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deegan, L.A., D.S. Johnson, R.S. Warren, B.J. Peterson, J.W. Fleeger, S. Fagherazzi, and W.M. Wollheim. 2012. Coastal eutrophication as a driver of salt marsh loss. Nature 490: 388–392.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Donnelly, J.P., and M.D. Bertness. 2001. Rapid shoreward encroachment of salt marsh cordgrass in response to accelerated sea-level rise. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 98: 14218–14223.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Floyd, D.A., and J.E. Anderson. 1987. A comparison of three methods for estimating plant cover. The Journal of Ecology 75: 221–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giblin, A.E., and R.W. Howarth. 1984. Porewater evidence for a dynamic sedimentary iron cycle in salt marshes. Limnology and Oceanography 29: 47–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hatton, R.S., R.D. DeLaune, and W.H. Patrick Jr. 1983. Sedimentation, accretion, and subsidence in marshes of Barataria Basin, Louisiana. Limnology and Oceanography 28: 494–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howes, B.L., J.W.H. Dacey, and G.M. King. 1984. Carbon flow through oxygen and sulfate reduction pathways in salt marsh sediments. Limnology and Oceanography 29: 1037–1051.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • King, G.M., M. Klug, R. Wiegert, and A. Chalmers. 1982. Relation of soil water movement and sulfide concentration to Spartina alterniflora production in a Georgia salt marsh. Science 218: 61–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirwan, M.L., G.R. Guntenspergen, A. D’Alpaos, J.T. Morris, S.M. Mudd, and S. Temmerman. 2010. Limits on the adaptability of coastal marshes to rising sea level. Geophysical Research Letters 37: L23401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirwan, M.L., and S.M. Mudd. 2012. Response of salt-marsh carbon accumulation to climate change. Nature 489: 550–553.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch, M.S., and I. Mendelssohn. 1989. Sulphide as a soil phytotoxin: differential responses in two marsh species. The Journal of Ecology 77: 565–578.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch, M.S., I.A. Mendelssohn, and K.L. McKee. 1990. Mechanism for the hydrogen sulfide‐induced growth limitation in wetland macrophytes. Limnology and Oceanography 35: 399–408.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, N.L., I.A. Mendelssohn, and D.J. Reed. 1999. Altered hydrology effects on Louisiana salt marsh function. Wetlands 19: 617–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langley, J.A., K.L. McKee, D.R. Cahoon, J.A. Cherry, J.P. Megonigal, and C.B. Field. 2009. Elevated CO2 stimulates marsh elevation gain, counterbalancing sea-level rise. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106: 6182–6186.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lefor, M.W., W.C. Kennard, and D.L. Civco. 1987. Relationships of salt-marsh plant distributions to tidal levels in Connecticut, USA. Environmental Management 11: 61–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W.R., and F.E. Egler. 1950. Vegetation of the Wequetequock-Pawcatuck tidal-marshes, Connecticut. Ecological Monographs 20: 143–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, J.T., J. Edwards, S. Crooks, and E. Reyes. 2012. Assessment of carbon sequestration potential in coastal wetlands. In Recarbonization of the biosphere, 517–531. Netherlands: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, J.T., P.V. Sundareshwar, C.T. Nietch, B. Kjerfve, and D.R. Cahoon. 2002. Responses of coastal wetlands to rising sea level. Ecology 83: 2869–2877.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mudd, S.M. 2011. The life and death of salt marshes in response to anthropogenic disturbance of sediment supply. Geology 39: 511–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, R.J., and A. Cazenave. 2010. Sea-level rise and its impact on coastal zones. Science 328: 1517–1520.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niering, W.A. 1961. Tidal marshes: their use in scientific research. Connecticut’s coastal marshes, a vanishing resource. In Connecticut Arboretum Bulletin, vol. 12, 3–7. New London: Connecticut College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niering, W.A., and R.S. Warren. 1980. Vegetation patterns and processes in New England salt marshes. BioScience 30: 301–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NOAA Service Assessment. 2012. Hurricane Irene, August 21-30, 2011. Silver Springs, MD. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/assessments/pdfs/Irene2012.pdf

  • Norby, R.J., and Y. Luo. 2004. Evaluating ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric CO2 and global warming in a multi‐factor world. New Phytologist 162: 281–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nuttle, W.K., H.F. Hemond, and K.D. Stolzenbach. 1990. Mechanisms of water storage in salt marsh sediments: the importance of dilation. Hydrological Processes 4(1): 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nyman, J.A., R.D. Delaune, and W.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.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orson, R.A., and B.L. Howes. 1992. Salt marsh development studies at Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts: influence of geomorphology on long-term plant community structure. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 35: 453–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orson, R.A., R.S. Warren, and W.A. Niering. 1998. Interpreting sea level rise and rates of vertical marsh accretion in a Southern New England tidal salt marsh. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 47: 419–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paquette, C.H., K.L. Sundberg, R.M. Boumans, and G.L. Chmura. 2004. Changes in saltmarsh surface elevation due to variability in evapotranspiration and tidal flooding. Estuaries 27: 82–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raposa, K.B., R.L.J. Weber, M.C. Ekberg, and W. Ferguson. 2015. Vegetation dynamics in Rhode Island salt marshes during a period of accelerating sea level rise and extreme sea events. Esuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-015-0018-4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Redfield, A.C. 1972. Development of a New England salt marsh. Ecological Monographs 42: 201–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roman, C.T., N.A. Jaworski, F.T. Short, S. Findlay, and R.S. Warren. 2000. Estuaries of the Northeastern United States: habitat and land use signatures. Estuaries 23: 743–764.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sallenger, A.H., K.S. Doran, and P.A. Howd. 2012. Hotspot of accelerated sea-level rise on the Atlantic Coast of North America. Nature Climate Change 2: 884–888.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sinicrope, T.L., P.G. Hine, R.S. Warren and W.A. Niering. 1990. Restoration of an impounded marsh in New England. Estuaries 13(1): 25–30.

  • Smith, S.M., and S. Warren. 2007. Determining ground surface topography in tidal marshes using watermarks. Journal of Coastal Research 23: 265–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steever, E.Z. 1972. Productivity and vegetation studies of a tidal salt marsh in Stonington, Connecticut: Cottrell Marsh. New London: MA thesis, Connecticut College Department of Botany.

  • Stevenson, J.C., L.G. Ward, and M.S. Kearney. 1986. Vertical accretion in marshes with varying rates of sea level rise. In Estuarine variability, ed. D.A. Wolfe, 241. Waltham: Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sundby, B., C. Vale, M. Caetano, and G.W. Luther Iii. 2003. Redox chemistry in the root zone of a salt marsh sediment in the Tagus Estuary, Portugal. Aquatic Geochemistry 9: 257–271.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R.E., J.J. Baustian, E.M. Swenson, and J.S. Spicer. 2006. Wetland sedimentation from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Science 314: 449–452.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R.E., E.M. Swenson, C.S. Milan, and J.M. Lee. 2007. Hurricane signals in salt marsh sediments: inorganic sources and soil volume. Limnology and Oceanography 52: 1231–1238.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., J.M. Teal, and N.Y. Persson. 1976. Production and dynamics of experimentally enriched salt marsh vegetation: belowground biomass. Limnology and Oceanography 21: 245–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, R.S., and W.A. Niering. 1993. Vegetation change on a northeast tidal marsh: interaction of sea-level rise and marsh accretion. Ecology 74(1): 96–103.

  • Watson, E., A. Oczkowski, C. Wigand, A. Hanson, E. Davey, S. Crosby, R. Johnson, and H. Andrews. 2014. Nutrient enrichment and precipitation changes do not enhance resiliency of salt marshes to sea level rise in the Northeastern US. Climatic Change 125: 501–509.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weston, N. 2013. Declining sediments and rising seas: an unfortunate convergence for tidal wetlands. Estuaries and Coasts 37: 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wigand, C., C.T. Roman, E. Davey, M. Stolt, R. Johnson, A. Hanson, E.B. Watson, S.B. Moran, D.R. Cahoon, and J.C. Lynch. 2014. Below the disappearing marshes of an urban estuary: historic nitrogen trends and soil structure. Ecological Applications 24: 633–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the editors of Estuaries and Coasts for publishing this thematic issue related to the pressures faced by salt marsh ecosystems in Southern New England. JCC thanks J. Tang for allowing her time to work on this manuscript. The authors thank Elizabeth Watson for sample analysis, Nels Barrett and Ron Rozsa for significant contributions to establishment and measurement of the Barn Island SETs, and William R. Funk for help in the 2014 sampling at Mamacoke. SET and related work at Barn Island was supported by the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Office of Long Island Sound Programs through Long Island Sound License Plate Program Contract: PSA 2002-20332. The Department’s Wildlife Unit manages the Barn Island Wildlife Management Area and provided access and significant technical assistance. The Connecticut College Arboretum gave access and logistical support for work on the Mamacoke Marsh.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA

    J. C. Carey

  2. Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Prudence Island, RI, USA

    K. B. Raposa

  3. ORD-NHEERL, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, RI, USA

    C. Wigand

  4. Department of Botany, Connecticut College, New London, CT, USA

    R. S. Warren

Authors
  1. J. C. Carey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. B. Raposa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. Wigand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R. S. Warren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. C. Carey.

Additional information

Communicated by Edwin DeHaven Grosholz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Carey, J.C., Raposa, K.B., Wigand, C. et al. Contrasting Decadal-Scale Changes in Elevation and Vegetation in Two Long Island Sound Salt Marshes. Estuaries and Coasts 40, 651–661 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-0059-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-0059-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation