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Sedimentation cycles in a river-mouth tidal freshwater marsh

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Abstract

Tidal freshwater marshes are critical buffers that exist at the interface between watersheds and estuaries. Little is known about the physical dynamics of tidal freshwater marsh evolution. Over a 21-mo period, July 1995 to March 1997, measurements were made of biweekly sediment deposition at 23 locations in a 3.8-ha tidal freshwater marsh in the Bush River subestuary of the upper Chesapeake Bay. Biweekly accumulation showed high spatial and temporal variability, ranging from −0.28 g cm−2 to 1.15 g cm−2. Spatial variability is accounted for by habitat differences including plant associations, elevation, and hydrology. Temporal variability is accounted for by interannual climate variability, the growth cycles of marsh plants, stream-marsh interactions, forest-marsh interactions, and animal activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 21218, Baltimore, Maryland

    Gregory B. Pasternack & Grace S. Brush

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  1. Gregory B. Pasternack
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  2. Grace S. Brush
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Correspondence to Gregory B. Pasternack.

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Pasternack, G.B., Brush, G.S. Sedimentation cycles in a river-mouth tidal freshwater marsh. Estuaries 21, 407–415 (1998). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352839

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352839

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