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1.
This study provides new insights in the relative role of tidal creeks and the marsh edge in supplying water and sediments to and from tidal marshes for a wide range of tidal inundation cycles with different high water levels and for marsh zones of different developmental stage. Net import or export of water and its constituents (sediments, nutrients, pollutants) to or from tidal marshes has been traditionally estimated based on discharge measurements through a tidal creek. Complementary to this traditional calculation of water and sediment balances based on creek fluxes, we present novel methods to calculate water balances based on digital elevation modeling and sediment balances based on spatial modeling of surface sedimentation measurements. In contrast with spatial interpolation, the presented approach of spatial modeling accounts for the spatial scales at which sedimentation rates vary within tidal marshes. This study shows that for an old, high marsh platform, dissected by a well-developed creek network with adjoining levees and basins, flow paths are different for tidal inundation cycles with different high water levels: during shallow inundation cycles (high water level <0.2 m above the creek banks) almost all water is supplied via the creek system, while during higher inundation cycles (high water level >0.2 m) the percentage of water directly supplied via the marsh edge increases with increasing high water level. This flow pattern is in accordance with the observed decrease in sedimentation rates with increasing distance from creeks and from the marsh edge. On a young, low marsh, characterized by a gently seaward sloping topography, material exchange does not take place predominantly via creeks but the marsh is progressively flooded starting from the marsh edge. As a consequence, the spatial sedimentation pattern is most related to elevation differences and distance from the marsh edge. Our results imply that the traditional measurement of tidal creek fluxes may lead in many cases to incorrect estimations of net sediment or nutrient budgets.  相似文献   

2.
The mummichog,Fundulus heteroclitus, is one of the most important macrofaunal components of salt marsh surfaces and an important link to subtidal areas of the adjacent estuary along the east coast of the U.S. We estimated growth, population size, and production of the mummichog in a restored marsh in order to improve our understanding of the role of this resident fish and to evaluate the success of the restoration. The restored marsh, covering 234 ha, was a former salt hay farm located in the mesohaline portion of Delaware Bay that was restored to tidal influence in August 1996. We separated the mummichog population into two components based on life history stage and summer habitat use patterns. One component, consisting of adults and large young-of-the-year (YOY), exhibited tidal movements to and from the marsh surface and the subtidal creeks. These were examined with an intensive mark and recapture program using coded wire tags. Another component, consisting of small YOY, remained on the marsh surface throughout the tidal cycle. Throw traps were used to sample these small YOY. The mean annual population density of adults and large YOY for the entire marsh was approximately 1.2 fish m−2 and mean monthly density peaked at 2.9 fish m−2. The mean annual density of small YOY on the marsh surface was 15.1 fish m−2 and mean monthly density peaked at 41.4 fish m−2. Size and season influenced the growth rate of individual fish and instantaneous growth rates ranged from 0.03 to 2.26 mo−1. Total annual mummichog production was estimated to be 8.37 g dw m−2 yr−1, with adults and large YOY contributing 28.4% (2.38 g dw m−2 yr−1) and small YOY on the marsh surface contributing 71.6% (5.99 g dw m−2 yr−1). The seasonal use and population densities were comparable to previous studies in natural marshes while growth and production of mummichog in this restored marsh appeared to be higher. Coupled with the results of other studies on the feeding, movement, and habitat use of this species in this restored marsh, the species has responded well to the restoration.  相似文献   

3.
Analyses of organic content, pollen, and the carbon-isotopic composition of a 3.5-m sediment core collected from a subsided tidal marsh located in South San Francisco Bay, California, have provided a 500-yr record of sediment accretion and vegetation change before, during, and after a rapid 1 m increase in sea level. Core chronology was established using14C dating of fossil plant material, the first appearance of pollen types produced by plants not native to California, and changes in lead concentrations coincident with anthropogenic contamination. Prior to the mid 19th century, rates of sediment accretion were between 1 and 4 mm yr−1; sediment accretion accelerated to an average of 22 mm yr−1 following the initiation of subsidence. Changes in tidal marsh vegetation also accompanied this depositional change. Vegetation shifted from a high to low marsh assemblage, as indicated by a larger percentage of grass pollen, rhizomes ofSpartina foliosa, and a strong C4 signal. Between 1980 and 2001, Triangle marsh again developed high marsh vegetation, as indicated by higher percentages of the Amaranthaceane pollen type, seed deposition, includingSalicornia spp., and more negative carbon isotopic ratios.  相似文献   

4.
We used a combined field and modeling approach to estimate the potential for submergence for one rapidly deteriorating (Bayou Chitigue Marsh) and one apparently stable (Old Oyster Bayou Marsh) saltmarsh wetland in coastal Louisiana, given two eustatic sea level rise scenarios: the current rate (0.15 cm year−1); and the central value predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (48 cm by the year 2100). We also used the model to determine what processes were most critical for maintaining and influencing salt marsh elevation including, mineral matter deposition, organic matter production, shallow subsidence (organic matter decomposition + primary sediment compaction), deep subsidence, and sediment pulsing events (e.g., hurricanes). Eight years of field measurements from feldspar marker horizons and surface elevation tables revealed that the rates of vertical accretion at the Bayou Chitigue Marsh were high (2.26 (0.09) cm yr−1 (mean ± SE)) because the marsh exists at the lower end of the tidal range. The rate of shallow subsidence was also high (2.04 (0.1) cm yr−1), resulting in little net elevation gain (0.22 (0.06) cm yr−1). In contrast, vertical accretion at the Old Oyster Bayou Marsh, which is 10 cm higher in elevation, was 0.48 (0.09) cm yr−1. However, there was a net elevation gain of 0.36 (0.08) cm yr−1 because there was no significant shallow subsidence. When these rates of elevation gain were compared to rates of relative sea level rise (deep subsidence plus eustatic sea level rise), both sites showed a net elevation deficit although the Bayou Chitigue site was subsiding at approximately twice the rate of the Old Oyster Bayou site (1.1 cm yr−1 versus 0.49 cm yr−1 respectively). These field data were used to modify, initialize, and calibrate a previously published wetland soil development model that simulates primary production and mineral matter deposition as, feedback functions of elevation. Sensitivity analyses revealed that wetland elevation was most sensitive to changes in the rates of deep subsidence, a model forcing function that is difficult to measure in the field and for which estimates in the literature vary widely. The model also revealed that, given both the current rate of sea level rise and the central value estimate, surface elevation at both sites would fall below mean sea level over the next 100 years. Although these results were in agreement with the field study, they contradicted long term observations that the Old Oyster Bayou site has been in equilibrium with sea level for at least the past 50 years. Further simulations showed that the elevation at the Old Oyster Bayou site could keep pace with current rates of sea level rise if either a lower rate for deep subsidence was used as a forcing function, or if a periodic sediment pulsing function (e.g., from hurricanes) was programmed into the model.  相似文献   

5.
We measured the amount of arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, vanadium, and zinc accumulated over a five-year period from 1997 to 2002 in surface sediments of seven salt marshes along the New Brunswick coast of the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Study sites extended from outer to inner Bay, spanning a gradient in tidal range (6–12 m) and mean sediment deposition rate (0.27–1.76 cm yr−1). In each study site, metal concentrations were measured in low and high marsh areas. Concentrations of chromium, nickel, and zinc appear to be within their natural range, while arsenic, lead, and vanadium are enriched in some sites. Calculated sediment metal loadings rates showed variability among marsh sites that closely followed sediment deposition patterns, suggesting sediment deposition rate is the driving factor of short-term metal accumulation in Fundy marshes. The value of salt marshes as a sink for metals may be enhanced by high sedimentation rates.  相似文献   

6.
Analysis of 75 vibracores from the backbarrier region of Kiawah Island, South Carolina reveals a complex association of three distinct stratigraphic sequences. Beach ridge progradation and orientation-controlled backbarrier development during the evolution of Kiawah Island, and resulted in deposition of: (1) a mud-rich central backbarrier sequence consisting of low marsh overlying fine-grained, tidal flat/lagoonal mud; (2) a sandy beach-ridge swale sequence consisting of high and low marsh overlying tidal creek channel and point bar sand, and foreshore/shoreface; and (3) a regressive sequence of sandy, mixed, and muddy tidal flats capped by salt marsh that occurs on the updrift end of the island. Central backbarrier deposits formed as a result of the development of the initial beach ridge on Kiawah Island. Formation of this beach ridge created a backbarrier lagoon in which fine-grained estuarine and tidal flat mud accumulated. Washovers, oyster mounds, and tidal creek deposits form isolated sand and/or shell-rich lenses in the lagoon. Spartina alterniflora low marsh prograded into the lagoon as the tidal flats aggraded. Barrier progradation and sediment bar-bypassing at Stono Inlet created digitate beach ridges on the northeast end of Kiawah Island. Within the beach-ridge swales, tidal flats were disconformably deposited on shoreface and foreshore sand of the older beach ridges. Tidal creek drainage systems evolved to drain the swales. These rapidly migrating creeks reworked the tidal flat, foreshore, and shoreface sediments while redepositing a fining-upward sequence of channel lag and point bar deposits, which served as a substrate for salt marsh colonization. This resultant regressive sedimentary package marks the culmination of barrier island development and estuary infilling. Given enough time and sedimentation, the backbarrier sequence will ultimately prograde over the barrier island, reworking dune, beach, and foreshore sediments to form the upper sand-rich bounding surface of the barrier lithosome. Preservation of the regressive sequence is dependent upon sediment supply and the relative rate of sea-level rise, but the reworking of barrier islands by tidal inlets and migrating tidal creeks greatly alter and complicate the stratigraphic sequence.  相似文献   

7.
Coastal systems serve many human uses and as a result are susceptible to anthropogenic activities such as nutrient loading and overfishing. In soft sediments, infauna frequently serve as key indicators of such activities. To use infauna effectively as bioindicators, it is important to understand how infaunal abundances and community patterns vary naturally within ecosystems. We examined the spatial and temporal dynamics of infaunal annelids in four tidal creeks of the Plum Island Estuary, Massachusetts, USA, from June to October 2003, sampling along a tidal inundation gradient that crossed five distinct habitats from creek bottoms to the vegetated high marsh platform. Annelids comprised 97% of the total number of macroinfauna. Highest densities were found in creek wall habitats (33,418–65,535 individuals m−2), and lowest densities (2,421–10,668 individuals m−2) were found inSpartina patens habitats. Five numerically abundant species comprised 87% of the annelid assemblage and three species,Manayunkia aestuarina (Polychaeta),Paranais litoralis (Oligochaeta), andCernosvitoviella immota (Oligochaeta), were broadly distributed across the marsh landscape.Streblospio benedicti (Polychaeta) andFabricia sabella (Polychaeta) were abundant only in mudflat and creek wall habitats, respectively.P. litoralis experienced a summer decline in all habitats, whereasM. aestuarina abundance increased 4–5 fold, in October relative to June in creek wall and tall-formSpartina alterniflora habitats. Hierarchical spatial, analysis revealed that >90% of the variability in annelid abundances was found at the mesospatial scale (<50 m). Variation among the four creeks, (>1 km) was relatively small.  相似文献   

8.
Measurements of surface sediment accretion have been obtained for Hut Marsh, Scolt Head Island, Norfolk, England, using sand marker horizons. More than eighty 1-m2 marker sites were deployed in October 1983, and vertical accretion measured at them in April and October 1986 and April 1987. Elevations relative to Ordnance Datum were established by levelling each site at the time of deployment. Data collected by Steers between 1935 and 1957 on the same marsh show a clear relationship between marsh elevation and sedimentation. The results of the current more detailed study, presented as mean annual accretion rates, indicate a complex pattern of sediment distribution at this macrotidal location. These data, together with the results of tidal flow monitoring in the creeks on Hut Marsh, show the importance of spatial and temporal patterns of sediment delivery and variations in depositional processes in determining the distribution of sedimentation across the marsh surface.  相似文献   

9.
Salt marsh resilience to sea-level rise depends on marsh plain elevation, tidal range, subsurface processes, as well as surface accretion, of which suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) is a critical component. However, spatial and temporal patterns of inorganic sedimentation are poorly quantified within and across Salicornia pacifica (pickleweed)-dominated marshes. We compared vertical accretion rates and re-examined previously published suspended-sediment patterns during dry-weather periods at Seal Beach Wetlands, which is characterized by a mix of Spartina foliosa (cordgrass) and pickleweed, and for Mugu Lagoon, where cordgrass is rare. Mugu Lagoon occurs higher in the tidal frame and receives terrigenous sediment from an adjacent creek. Feldspar marker horizons were established in winter 2013–2014 to measure accretion. Accretion rates at Seal Beach Wetlands and Mugu Lagoon were 6 ± 0.5 mm/year (mean ± SE) and 2 ± 0.3 mm/year. Also, the estimated sediment flux (g/year) across the random feldspar plots was 3.5 times higher at Seal Beach Wetlands. At Mugu Lagoon, accretion was higher near creeks, although not statistically significant. Dry-weather SSC showed similar concentrations at transect locations across sites. During wet weather, however, SSC at Mugu Lagoon increased at all locations, with concentrations decaying farther than 8 m from tidal creek edge. Based on these results from Mugu Lagoon, we conclude accretion patterns are set by infrequent large flooding events in systems where there is a watershed sediment source. Higher accretion rates at Seal Beach Wetlands may be linked to lower-marsh elevations, and thus more frequent inundation, compared with Mugu Lagoon.  相似文献   

10.
Twenty-three estimates of soil subsidence rates arising under the influence of local hydrologic changes from flap-gates, weirs, dikes, and culverts in tidal wetlands were compared to 75 examples of subsidence in drained agricultural wetlands. The induced subsidence rates from these hydrologic modifications in tidal wetlands can continue for more than 100 years, and range between 1.67 to 0.10 cm yr−1 within 1 to 155 years after the hydrologic modifications commence. These subsidence rates are lower than in freshwater wetlands drained for agricultural purposes, decline with age, and are significant in comparison to the rates of global sea level rise or the average soil accretion rates. The elevation change resulting from local hydrologic manipulations is significant with respect to the narrow range of flood tolerances of salt marsh plants, especially in microtidal environments.  相似文献   

11.
Negative connotations of invasive plants worldwide have implicated them as the bearers of unfavorable ecosystem change. We contrasted 5-yr-old and 20-yr-oldPhragmites populations with pre-invasion areas occupied byTypha spp. andPanicum virgatum in an oligohaline tidal marsh of Chesapeake Bay. Peak live biomass was 3 times greater, while standing dead and litter was twice as great in the 20-yr-oldPhragmites. It is this abundance of concentrated litter on the marsh surface of maturePhragmites populations that we implicate as encouraging the trapping of organic and mineral matter. The rate of vertical accretion in 20-yr-oldPhragmites populations is 3–4 mm yr−1 above the adjacent populations. By integrating the constant initial concentration and constant rate of supply models on individual210Pb cores, we estimate thatPhragmites populations require a minimum of 7-yr post-colonization to enhance rates of accretion in this system. In ligh of the considerable loss of marsh habitat from relative sea-level rise, this finding contests the view that invasion creates strictly undesirable change at the ecosystem level.  相似文献   

12.
Many salt marshes in densely populated areas have been subjected to a reduction in tidal flow. In order to assess the impact of tidal flow restriction on marsh sedimentation processes, sediment cores were collected from flow-restricted restricted salt marshes along the Connecticut coast of Long Island Sound. Cores were also collected from unrestricted reference marshes and from a marsh that had been previously restricted but was restored to fuller tidal flushing in the 1970's. High bulk densities and low C and N concentrations were found at depth in the restricted marsh cores, which we attribute to a period of organic matter oxidation, sediment compaction, and marsh surface subsidence upon installation of flow restrictions (between 100 and 200 years before the present, depending on the marsh). Recent sedimentation rates at the restricted marshes (as determined by137Cs and210Pb dating) were positive and averaged 78% (137Cs) and 50% (210Pb) of reference marsh sedimentation rates. The accumulation of inorganic sediment was similar at the restricted and reference marshes, perhaps because of the seasonal operation of the tide gates, while organic sediment accretion (and pore space) was significantly lower in the restricted marshes, perhaps because of higher decomposition rates. Sedimentation rates at the restored marsh were significantly higher than at the reference marshes. This marsh has responded to the higher water levels resulting from restoration by a rapid increase in marsh surface elevation.  相似文献   

13.
In order to test the assumption that accretion rates of intertidal salt marshes are approximately equal to rates of sea-level rise along the Rhode Island coast,210Pb analyses were carried out and accretion rates calculated using constant flux and constant activity models applied to sediment cores collected from lowSpartina alterniflora marshes at four sites from the head to the mouth of Narragansett Bay. A core was also collected from a highSpartina patens marsh at one site. Additional low marsh cores from a tidal river entering the bay and a coastal lagoon on Block Island Sound were also analyzed. Accretion rates for all cores were also calculated from copper concentration data assuming that anthropogenic copper increases began at all sites between 1865 and 1885. Bulk density and weight-loss-on-ignition of the sediments were measured in order to assess the relative importance of inorganic and organic accumulation. During the past 60 yr, accretion rates at the eight low marsh sites averaged 0.43±0.13 cm yr?1 (0.25 to 0.60 cm yr?1) based on the constant flux model, 0.40±0.15 cm yr?1 (0.15 to 0.58 cm yr?1) based on the constant activity model, and 0.44±0.11 cm yr?1 (0.30 to 0.59 cm yr?1) based on copper concentration data, with no apparent trend down-bay. High marsh rates were 0.24±0.02 (constant flux), 0.25±0.01 (constant activity), and 0.47±0.04 (copper concentration data). The cores showing closest agreement between the three methods are those for which the excess210Pb inventories are consistent with atmospheric inputs. These rates compare to a tide gauge record from the mouth of the bay that shows an average sea-level rise of 0.26±0.02 cm yr?1 from 1931 to 1986. Low marshes in this area appear to accrete at rates 1.5–1.7 times greater than local relative sea-level rise, while the high marsh accretion rate is equal to the rise in sea level. The variability among the low marsh sites suggests that marshes may not be poised at mean water level to within better than ±several cm on time scales of decades. Inorganic and organic dry solids each contributed about 9% by volume to low marsh accretion, while organic dry solids contributed 11% and inorganic 4% to high marsh accretion. Water/pore space accounted for the majority of accretion in both low and high marshes. If water associated with the organic component is considered, organic matter accounts for an average of 91% of low marsh and 96% of high marsh accretion. A dramatic increase in the organic content at a depth of 60 to 90 cm in the cores from Narragansett Bay appears to mark the start of marsh development on prograding sand flats.  相似文献   

14.
In the lower delta of the Paraná River, at the head of the Río de la Plata estuary (Argentina), we compared net aboveground primary production (NAPP) and soil properties of the dominant macrophyteScirpus giganteus (Kunth) in a floating and an attached marsh community. Both marshes are tidally influenced but in different ways. The floating marsh site is relatively isolated from tidal influences because its ability to float makes it resistant to overland flow and to sediment inputs from the estuary. The attached marsh lacks the capacity to float and receives sediment supplies from the estuary through overland flow. These hydrologic differences are reflected in lower mineral content in sediments of the floating marsh. Using a leaf tagging technique, estimated NAPP was 1,109 ± 206 g m−2 yr−1 for the floating marsh and 1,866 ±258 g m−2 yr−1 for the attached marsh. We attribute the lower NAPP of the floating marsh to isolation from sediment input from overland flow.  相似文献   

15.
Salt marsh elevation and geomorphic stability depends on mineral sedimentation. Many Mediterranean-climate salt marshes along southern California, USA coast import sediment during El Niño storm events, but sediment fluxes and mechanisms during dry weather are potentially important for marsh stability. We calculated tidal creek sediment fluxes within a highly modified, sediment-starved, 1.5-km2 salt marsh (Seal Beach) and a less modified 1-km2 marsh (Mugu) with fluvial sediment supply. We measured salt marsh plain suspended sediment concentration and vertical accretion using single stage samplers and marker horizons. At Seal Beach, a 2014 storm yielded 39 and 28 g/s mean sediment fluxes and imported 12,000 and 8800 kg in a western and eastern channel. Western channel storm imports offset 8700 kg exported during 2 months of dry weather, while eastern channel storm imports augmented 9200 kg imported during dry weather. During the storm at Mugu, suspended sediment concentrations on the marsh plain increased by a factor of four; accretion was 1–2 mm near creek levees. An exceptionally high tide sequence yielded 4.4 g/s mean sediment flux, importing 1700 kg: 20 % of Mugu’s dry weather fluxes. Overall, low sediment fluxes were observed, suggesting that these salt marshes are geomorphically stable during dry weather conditions. Results suggest storms and high lunar tides may play large roles, importing sediment and maintaining dry weather sediment flux balances for southern California salt marshes. However, under future climate change and sea level rise scenarios, results suggest that balanced sediment fluxes lead to marsh elevational instability based on estimated mineral sediment deficits.  相似文献   

16.
This study represents the first report on sediment accretion rates using137Cs dating for a southern California salt marsh. Vertical accretion rates ranged from 0.7 to 1.2 cm yr−1, which is at the high end of sediment accretion values for coastal wetlands. This has lead to increases in elevation within the estuary from 18 to 35 cm over the last 35 years. Depth profiles of metal concentrations were converted to time-based profiles using vertical accretion rates. Chronologies for most cores indicate a consistent peak in sediment lead (Pb) concentrations in the early to mid 1980s, corresponding to the historic decline in Pb use, which was completed in the U.S. by the early 1980s, but not begun in Mexico until 1991. Sediment Pb levels ranged from about 6–56 μg g−1. Other metals did not show any consistent trends in sediment chronology, except for a single core from a mid-marsh site (east-mid 2), which showed a 2–3-fold increase in levels of Cu, Ni, and Zn during the past two decades. Sediment levels of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) ranged from 6–34 μg g−1, 11–27 μg g−1, and 42–122 μg g−1, respectively. Despite rapid industrial development of the watershed, a comparison of the sediment metal concentrations in the Tijuana Estuary to other anthropogenically-impacted estuaries in the United States and Europe, shows that metal levels in sediments of the north arm of the estuary are relatively low.  相似文献   

17.
Phragmites expansion rates (linear at 1–3% yr−1) and impacts of this expansion on high marsh macroinvertebrates, aboveground production, and litter decomposition fromPhragmites and other marsh graminoids were studied along a polyhaline to oligohaline gradient. These parameters, and fish use of creeks and high marsh, were also studied inPhragmites control sites (herbicide, mowing, and combined herbicide/mow treatments).Phragmites clones established without obvious site preferences on oligohaline marshes, expanding radially. At higher salinities,Phragmites preferentially colonized creekbank levees and disturbed upland borders, then expanded into the central marsh. Hydroperiods, but not salinities or water table, distinguishedPhragmites-dominated transects. Pooled samples ofPhragmites leaves, stems, and flowers decompose more slowly than other marsh angiosperms;Phragmites leaves alone decompose as or more rapidly than those of cattail. AbovegroundPhragmites production was 1,300 to 2,400 g m−2 (about 23% of this as leaves), versus 600–800 g m−2 for polyhaline to mesohaline meadow and 1,300 g m−2 for oligohaline cattail-sedge marsh. Macroinvertebrates appear largely unaffected byPhragmites expansion or control efforts; distribution and densities are unrelated to elevation or hydroperiod, but densities are positively related to litter cover. Dominant fish captured leaving flooded marsh wereFundulus heteroclitus andAnguilla rostrata; both preyed heavily on marsh macroinvertebrates.A. rostrata andMorone americana tended to be more common inPhragmites, but otherwise there were no major differences in use patterns betweenPhragmites and brackish meadow vegetation. SAV and macroalgal cover were markedly lower within aPhragmites-dominated creek versus one withSpartina-dominated banks. The same fish species assemblage was trapped in both plus a third within the herbicide/mow treatment. Fish biomass was greatest from theSpartina creek and lowest from thePhragmites creek, reflecting abundances ofF. heteroclitus. Mowing depressedPhragmites aboveground production and increased stem density, but was ineffective for control.Phragmites, Spartina patens, andJuncus gerardii frequencies after herbicide-only treatment were 0.53-0.21; total live cover was <8% with a heavy litter and dense standing dead stems. After two growing seasonsAgrostis stolonifera/S. patens/J. gerardii brackish meadow characterized most of the herbicide/mow treatment area;Phragmites frequency here was 0.53, contributing 3% cover. Both values more than doubled after four years; a single treatment is ineffective for long-termPhragmites control.  相似文献   

18.
In late December 1991, an accidental release of 5,700 CI of tritiated water (HTO) from the Savannah River Site was transported via site streams into the Savannah River where it was carried downstream to the coastal zone. HTO released into a semitropical Georgia estuary was forced into the tidal marshes surrounding the estuary as well as discharged directly into the Atlantic Ocean. The spreading of HTO was studied with a 3D hydrodynamic model (ALGE) that includes flooding and draining of intertidal areas. Comparisons of model simulations to measured HTO concentration showed that ALGE simulated well the general increase and decrease of HTO as its plume passed a given area. The “sheet flow” approximation for marsh and small tidal creek flow largely compensated for lack of model resolution and accurate bathymetry in areas with numerous small to medium-sized tidal creeks. The water volume of the unresolved tidal creeks had to be accounted for in the simulations by increasing the initial water depth over the marshes. ALGE and a simple box model both reproduced the trapping of HTO in intertidal areas. The time scale over which intertidal areas import and export HTO back to the tidal channels varies between 10 and 30 days.  相似文献   

19.
Mid Atlantic coastal salt marshes contain a matrix of vegetation diversified by tidal pools, pannes, and creeks, providing habitats of varying importance to many species of breeding, migrating, and wintering waterbirds. We hypothesized that changes in marsh elevation were not sufficient to keep pace with those of sea level in both vegetated and unvegetatedSpartina alterniflora sites at a number of mid lagoon marsh areas along the Atlantic Coast. We also predicted that northern areas would suffer less of a deficit than would southern sites. Beginning in August 1998, we installed surface elevation tables at study sites on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, southern New Jersey, and two locations along Virginia's eastern shore. We compared these elevation changes over the 4–4.5 yr record with the long-term (>50 yr) tidal records for each locale. We also collected data on waterbird use of these sites during all seasons of the year, based on ground surveys and replicated surveys from observation platforms. Three patterns of marsh elevation change were found. At Nauset Marsh, Cape Cod, theSpartina marsh surface tracked the pond surface, both keeping pace with regional sea-level rise rates. In New Jersey, the ponds are becoming deeper while marsh surface elevation remains unchanged from the initial reading. This may result in a submergence of the marsh in the future, assuming sea-level rise continues at current rates. Ponds at both Virginia sites are filling in, while marsh surface elevation rates do not seem to be keeping pace with local sea-level rise. An additional finding at all sites was that subsidence in the vegetated marsh surfaces was less than in unvegetated areas, reflecting the importance of the root mat in stabilizing sediments. The implications to migratory waterbirds are significant. Submergence of much of the lagoonal marsh area in Virginia and New Jersey over the next century could have major negative (i.e., flooding) effects on nesting populations of marsh-dependent seaside sparrowsAmmodramus maritimus, saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrowsAmmodramus caudacutus, black railsLaterallus jamaicensis, clapper railsRallus longirostris. Forster's ternsSterna forsteri, common ternsSterna hirundo, and gull-billed ternsSterna nilotica. Although short-term inundation of many lagoonal marshes may benefit some open-water feeding ducks, geese, and swans during winter, the long-term ecosystem effects may be detrimental, as wildlife resources will be lost or displaced. With the reduction in area of emergent marsh, estuarine secondary productivity and biotic diversity will also be reduced.  相似文献   

20.
辛沛  金光球  李凌 《水科学进展》2009,20(3):379-384
滨海盐沼是重要的陆地-海洋交界带生态系统。目前国际上存在关于盐沼的两大假设:盐沼系统输出养分和盐沼植物带状分布。为验证这两大假设,增强对盐沼湿地的了解,盐沼孔隙水流动及溶质运移研究至关重要。为模拟复杂盐沼系统孔隙水流动及溶质运移,改进了美国地质勘测局编制的SUTRA程序。基于假定的潮沟横断面物理条件,对孔隙水流动及溶质运移过程进行了模拟分析。结果表明潮沟附近孔隙水及溶质交换较快,潮水浸淹会减缓潮沟附近出现物质集结。落潮时潮沟附近有明显垂向流和水平流,远潮沟地带主要为水平流。潮沟附近土壤通气条件较好。这些模拟结果较好的吻合了潮沟附近较盐沼内部盐沼植物长势较好的现象。  相似文献   

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