The Functions and Values of Fringing Salt Marshes in Northern New England,USA |
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| Authors: | Pamela A Morgan David M Burdick Frederick T Short |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Environmental Studies, University of New England, Biddeford, ME 04005, USA;(2) Jackson Estuarine Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, 85 Adams Point Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA |
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| Abstract: | We compared the functions and values of fringing salt marshes to those of meadow marshes along the southern Maine/New Hampshire
coast. Differences included soil organic matter content, plant species richness, and percent cover of high and low-marsh species.
More sediment was trapped per unit area in fringing marshes than in meadow marshes, but this difference was not significant.
Similarities included aboveground and belowground peak season biomass and the ability to dampen wave energy. Both marsh types
reduced the height of waves coming onto the marsh surface by 63% only 7 m into the marsh. Fringing marshes are diverse in
terms of their physical characteristics (width, length, slope, elevation, soils). Despite their small size, they are valuable
components of estuaries, performing many ecological functions to the same degree as nearby meadow marshes. More effort should
be made to include them in regional efforts to conserve and restore coastal habitats. |
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