Skip to main content
Log in

Vegetative delineation of coastal salt marsh boundaries

  • Research
  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Legislation mandating the protection of wetlands, combined with current pressures to convert them to other uses, emphasize the need to determine accurately a wetland-upland boundary We investigated six methods designed to establish such a boundary based on vegetation Each method was applied to a common data set obtained from 295 quadrats along 22 transects between marsh and upland areas in 13 intertidal saline wetlands in Oregon and Washington. The multiple occurrence, joint occurrence, and five percent methods required plant species to be classified as salt marsh, upland, and non-indicator, cluster and similarity methods required no initial classification Close agreement on wetland-upland boundaries determined by the six methods suggests that preclassification of plants and collection of plant cover data may not be necessary to determine the boundary

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

Access this article

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Batten, A. R., S. Murphy, and D. F. Murray. 1978. Definition of Alaskan wetlands by floristic criteria. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 490 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boesch, D. F. 1977. Application of numerical classification in ecological investigations of water pollution. Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Special Scientific Report No. 77. 115 pp.

  • Boon, J. D., D. M. Ware, and G. M. Silberhorn. 1978. Survey of vegetation and elevational relationships within coastal marsh transition zones in the central Atlantic coastal region. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 127 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clifford, H. T. and W. Stephenson. 1975. An introduction to numerical classification. Academic Press, New York, NY. 229 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darnell, R. M. 1976. Impacts of construction activities in wetlands of the United States. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. EPA-600/3-76-045. 392 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daubenmire, R. F. 1959. Canopy coverage method of vegetation analysis.Northwest Sci. 33:43–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fager, E. W. 1957. Determination and analysis of recurrent groups.Ecology 38:586–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frenkel, R. E., and H. P. Eilers. 1976. Tidal datums and characteristics of the upper limits of coastal marshes in selected Oregon estuaries. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 93 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frenkel, R. E., T. Boss, and S. R. Schuller. 1978. Transition zone vegetation between intertidal marsh and upland in Oregon and Washington. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 320 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, H. T., M. J. Kutilek, and K. M. DiVittorio. 1978. Determination of transition zone limits in coastal California wetlands. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 185 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jefferson, C. A. 1976. Relationship of vegetation and elevation at upper and lower limits of the transition zone between wetland and upland in Oregon's estuaries. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 92 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller-Dombois, D., and H. Ellenberg. 1974. Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, NY. 547 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Ocean Survey (NOAA). 1975. The relationship between the upper limit of control marshes and tidal datums. Rockville, National Ocean U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 84 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Odum, E. P. 1961. The role of tidal marshes in estuarine production.Conservationist 15:12–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teal, J. M. 1962. Energy flow in the salt marsh ecosystem of Georgia.Ecology 43:614–624.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Eilers, H.P., Taylor, A. & Sanville, W. Vegetative delineation of coastal salt marsh boundaries. Environmental Management 7, 443–452 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867124

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867124

Key words

Navigation