Abstract
The use of a sedimentation-erosion table (SET) for the measurement of small changes in sediment surface elevation in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas is described. The SET provides a constant reference plane in space from which the distance to the sediment surface can be measured by lowering pins to the surface. The precision of the method was determined by repeated measurements in coastal marshes, mudflats, and subtidal areas in Louisiana and Georgia. The confidence interval of the SET is about ±1.5 mm. The SET is more accurate if pins are lowered manually and the sediment surface is determined visually than if pins are lowered by gravity and the sediment surface is determined by soil resistance.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Anderson, F. E., L. Black, L. E. Watling, L. E. Moor, andL. M. Mayer. 1981. A temporal and spatial study of mudflat erosion and deposition.Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 51: 729–736.
Baumann, R. H. and R. D. Adams. 1981. The creation and restoration of wetlands by natural processes in the lower Atchafalaya River system: Possible conflicts with navigation and flood control objectives, p. 1–25.In R. H. Stovall (ed.), The Eighth Annual Conference on Wetland Restoration and Creation. Tampa, Florida.
Baumann, R. H., J. W. Day, andC. A. Miller. 1984. Mississippi deltaic wetland survival: Sedimentation versus coastal submergence.Science 224:1093–1095.
Bird, E. C. F. 1985. Coastal changes: A global overview. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 219 p.
Cahoon, D. R. andR. E. Turner. 1989. Accretion and canal impacts in a rapidly subsiding wetland. II. Feldspar marker horizon technique.Estuaries 12:260–268.
DeLaune, R. D., W. H. Patrick, andR. J. Buresh. 1978. Sedimentation rates determined by 137Cs dating in a rapidly accreting salt marsh.Nature 275:532–533.
Gornitz, V. S., S. Lebedeff, andJ. E. Hansen. 1982. Global sea level trend in the past century.Science 215:1611–1614.
Harbord, W. L. 1949.Spartina townsendii: A valuable grass on tidal mud flats.New Zealand Journal for Agriculture 78:507–508.
Knaus, R. M. and D. L. V. Gent. 1987. Marsh accretion, mineral sediment deposition and organic matter accumulation: Rare earth stable tracer technique, p. 277–297.In R. E. Turner and D. R. Cahoon (eds.), Causes of Wetland Loss in the Coastal Central Gulf of Mexico. Vol. II: Technical Narrative. Final report to Minerals Management Service, New Orleans, Louisiana Contract No. 14-12-0001-30252, OCS Study/MMS 87-0120.
Letzsch, W. S. andR. W. Frey. 1980. Deposition and erosion in a Holocene saltmarsh, Sapelo Island, GA.Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 50:529–542.
Pestrong, R. 1965. The development of drainage patterns on tidal marshes: Standford, California.Geological Science 10:56.
Pethick, J. andD. J. Reed. 1987. Coastal protection in an area of salt marsh erosion, p. 1094–1104. Proceedings of the Conference of Coastal Sediments. American Society of Civil Engineers. New Orleans, Louisiana.
Reed, D. J., 1989. Patterns of sediment deposition in subsiding coastal salt marshes, Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana: The role of winter storms.Estuaries 12:222–227.
Rejmanek, M., C. Sasser, andG. Peterson. 1988. Hurricane-induced sediment deposition in a Gulf Coast marsh.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 27:217–222.
Schoot, P. M. and J. E. A. de Jong. 1982. Sedimentatie en erosie metingen met behulp van de Sedi-Eros-tafel (SET). (Sedimentation and erosion measurements with the use of the Sedi-Eros-table, SET) Rijkswaterstaat. Notitie. DDMI-82.401. 12 p.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boumans, R.M.J., Day, J.W. High precision measurements of sediment elevation in shallow coastal areas using a sedimentation-erosion table. Estuaries 16, 375–380 (1993). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352509
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352509