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Journal article
Climate and Vegetation Change in a Coastal Marsh: Two Snapshots of Groundwater Dynamics and Tidal Flooding at Piermont Marsh, NY Spanning 20 Years
Wetlands (Wilmington, N.C.), v 44(1), 8
2024
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Groundwater hydrology plays an important role in coastal marsh biogeochemical function, in part because groundwater dynamics drive the zonation of macrophyte community distribution. Changes that occur over time, such as sea level rise and shifts in habitat structure are likely altering groundwater dynamics and eco-hydrological zonation. We examined tidal flooding and marsh water table dynamics in 1999 and 2019 and mapped shifts in plant distributions over time, at Piermont Marsh, a brackish tidal marsh located along the Hudson River Estuary near New York City. We found evidence that the marsh surface was flooded more frequently in 2019 than 1999, and that tides were propagating further into the marsh in 2019, although marsh surface elevation gains were largely matching that of sea level rise. The changes in groundwater hydrology that we observed are likely due to the high tide rising at a rate that is greater than that of mean sea level. In addition, we report changes in plant cover by
P. australis
, which has displaced native marsh vegetation at Piermont Marsh. Although
P. australis
has increased in cover, wrack deposition and plant die off associated Superstorm Sandy allowed for native vegetation to rebound in part of our focus area. These results suggest that climate change and plant community composition may interact to shape ecohydrologic zonation. Considering these results, we recommend that habitat models consider tidal range expansion and groundwater hydrology as metrics when predicting the impact of sea level rise on marsh resilience.
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Details
- Title
- Climate and Vegetation Change in a Coastal Marsh: Two Snapshots of Groundwater Dynamics and Tidal Flooding at Piermont Marsh, NY Spanning 20 Years
- Creators
- Sofi Courtney - Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Patrick Center for Environmental Research, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Drexel University, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of WashingtonFranco Montalto - Drexel UniversityElizabeth Burke Watson - Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Patrick Center for Environmental Research, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Drexel University, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University
- Publication Details
- Wetlands (Wilmington, N.C.), v 44(1), 8
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Grant note
- Grant No. 1946302 / National Science Foundation (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001) 2019 Tibor T. Polgar Grant / Hudson River Foundation (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005891)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES); Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001126320700001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85179925672
- Other Identifier
- 991021811638604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology
- Environmental Sciences