Journal
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
Volume 123, Issue 10, Pages 2647-2662Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1029/2018JF004617
Keywords
salt marsh erosion; tidal propagation; sediment trapping; COAWST; vegetation
Categories
Funding
- Department of the Interior/U.S. Geological Survey [G16AC00455]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The current paradigm is that salt marshes and their important ecosystem services are threatened by global climate change; indeed, large marsh losses have been documented worldwide. Morphological changes associated with salt marsh erosion are expected to influence the hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics of coastal systems. Here the influence of salt marsh erosion on the tidal hydrodynamics and sediment storage capability of shallow bays is investigated. Hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and vegetation dynamics are simulated using the numerical framework Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor system, USA. We show that salt marsh erosion influences the propagation of tides into back-barrier basins, reducing the periodic inundation and sediment delivery to marsh platforms. As salt marshes erode, the sediment trapping potential of marsh platforms decreases exponentially. In this test case, up to 50% of the sediment mass trapped by vegetation is lost once a quarter of the marsh area is eroded. Similarly, without salt marshes the sediment budget of the entire bay significantly declines. Therefore, a positive feedback might be triggered such that as the salt marsh retreats the sediment storage capacity of the system declines, which could in turn further exacerbate marsh degradation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available