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Quantifying Multi-Decadal Salt Marsh Surface Elevation and Geodetic Change: The South Carolina Geological Survey SET Network

  • Special Issue: Wetland Elevation Dynamics
  • Published:
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Abstract

In 1998, the South Carolina Geological Survey (SCGS) established a state-wide coastal Surface Elevation Table (SET) network to document geodetic elevation changes (uplift or subsidence) at different spatial resolutions, quantify elevation change on salt marsh platforms over time, and compare the rate of surface elevation change (REC) at each station to the rate of local relative sea-level rise (RSLR). Analysis of short- and long-term (4 to 22 + year) datasets from 21 SCGS SET stations shows that rates vary widely, from -2.30 to + 10.17 mm/yr. The 22 + year length of record on the oldest SCGS SET datasets reveal non-linear REC trends, with short-term trends often above or below the long-term trendline. When compared to a 100-year RSLR trend of 3.36 ± 0.19 mm/year at NOAA gauge 8,665,530 (Cooper River Mouth, Charleston Harbor), 11 stations had higher rates, five were lower, and five had overlapping confidence intervals. With a shorter 23-year record, only two stations would have higher rates. All SCGS SET stations are situated high in the tidal frame. There are no discernible associations between SET positions relative to mean high water (MHW) and REC. Long-term (1998–2021) geodetic elevation data available for six of the original stations indicate some geodetic elevation loss. Data for these original stations, and nine upland benchmarks surveyed in 2022, indicate possible impacts from the underlying Garner-Edisto fault. These findings have implications for other SET programs using similar methods to quantify vertical change over decadal time spans.

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Data Availability

The supporting data related to this study are available from the corresponding author, WRD, III, upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge and thank those who have assisted with station installation and data collection over the life of the project: C.W. Clendenin, Jr., C. Zemp, M. McKenzie, J. Koch, R. Jones, B. Mixon, M. Scott, A. Kitt, K. Benton, J. Williams, F. Caruccio, T. Herford, G. Lennon, J. Robinson, B. Czwartacki, R. Morrow, M. King, M. Henderson, T. Arrington, E. Koch, E. Cook, A. Wykel, Z. Zelaya, J. Suttles, M. Georgopulos, J. Smoak, R. McKeown, R. Woods, C. Graffio, and J. Gentry. Additional thanks to R. Hoenstine and J. Ladner, formerly with the Florida Geological Survey (FGS), for their early mentoring, and to H. Means (also with FGS) for assistance with locating archived SET data. The South Carolina Geodetic Survey, especially R. Woods, J. Smoak, and M. Wellslager, were instrumental throughout the project. The authors would also like to acknowledge and remember C.W. Clendenin, P. Maier, and J. Smoak for their vision to start the project, support of the work in the ACE Basin NERR, and for numerous hours of geodetic work on the stations, respectively. We appreciate the feedback and comments provided by B. Czwartacki, C.S. Howard, and A. Tweel. The document was greatly improved by comments and suggestions from an anonymous reviewer.

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  1. South Carolina Geological Survey, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources - Land, Water, and Conservation Division, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA

    William R. Doar, III & Katherine E. Luciano

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Doar,, W.R., Luciano, K.E. Quantifying Multi-Decadal Salt Marsh Surface Elevation and Geodetic Change: The South Carolina Geological Survey SET Network. Estuaries and Coasts (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-023-01290-y

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