Control of sediment deposition rates in two mid-Atlantic Coast tidal freshwater wetlands

Eustatic sea level rise and rapidly increasing coastal development threaten tidal freshwater wetlands. Sediment deposition is one process that affects their ability to maintain surface elevations relative to adjacent rivers. Sediment dynamics in salt marshes have been studied extensively, but little is known about the factors that control sediment deposition rates in tidal freshwater wetlands. We examined geomorphic, hydrological, and biotic factors that may influence sedimentation in two tidal freshwater wetlands that fell at opposite ends of the riverine-estuarine continuum. Our data demonstrate that sediment dynamics are highly variable among tidal freshwater wetlands, and are influenced by the location of the wetland on the continuum. Sediment deposition was up to 10 times higher during the growing season at the downstream site than the upstream site. Plant density and height were highly correlated with sediment deposition rates at the downstream site (r greater than or equal to 0.92, p less than or equal to 0.009) but not at the upstream site. Elevation, flood depth, and flood duration were correlated with deposition rates only when each site/season combination was considered separately. River suspended sediment and surficial floodwater suspended sediment concentrations were significantly higher at the downstream site (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). These data suggest that vegetation is important in determining sediment deposition rates when river suspended sediment is not limiting. which is not always the case. Longer flood duration increased sediment deposition, but was of secondary importance. Land use and proximity to the turbidity maximum (near the forward extent of the salt water intrusion) appear to be critically important in determining river suspended sediment availability in the tidal freshwater zone of the Mattaponi River, VA. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.