Sentinels of Change - Are Salt Marshes in LIS Keeping Pace with Sea Level Rise?
In the spring of 2014 we started a new project focused on the salt marshes of Long Island Sound. Our goal is to understand if salt marshes in LIS are keeping pace with the rapid sea level this area is experiencing. The specific objectives of this research are to:
1. Quantify salt marsh accretion rates and other site characteristics at a select set of sites in Long Island Sound using two dating methods (137Cs and ‘excess’ 210Pb). (We are collaborating w/ Dr. Brad Moran and his group at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of RI for this objective).
2. Measure rates of salt marsh decomposition (through litter bags % weight loss and CO2 effluxes) at sites throughout LIS.
3. Collect and synthesize data throughout LIS for environmental factors indicative of local human impacts and climate change including: nutrient loading, air and water temperatures, sea level rise, wind, and precipitation; additionally we will gather all previously measured salt marsh accretion rates in LIS for comparisons to the data we collect here in this study.
1. Quantify salt marsh accretion rates and other site characteristics at a select set of sites in Long Island Sound using two dating methods (137Cs and ‘excess’ 210Pb). (We are collaborating w/ Dr. Brad Moran and his group at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of RI for this objective).
2. Measure rates of salt marsh decomposition (through litter bags % weight loss and CO2 effluxes) at sites throughout LIS.
3. Collect and synthesize data throughout LIS for environmental factors indicative of local human impacts and climate change including: nutrient loading, air and water temperatures, sea level rise, wind, and precipitation; additionally we will gather all previously measured salt marsh accretion rates in LIS for comparisons to the data we collect here in this study.
Field Sites
Project Team in the Field |
Lab Work |