Journal article
Seven Years of Monitoring the Development of an Oyster Reef Living Shoreline
Estuaries and coasts, v 48(1), p11
2025
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The implementation of nature-based solutions (NbS), including living shorelines, to mitigate estuarine habitat loss is increasing at a pace exceeding the evaluation of their long-term success. Constructed oyster reefs (CORs) made of shell, concrete, stone, and other materials are one living shoreline tactic that is widely utilized, yet few studies have been conducted to understand the development of CORs within the context of both physical and ecological parameters over longer time scales (4 + years). A COR-based living shoreline project at the Gandy’s Beach Preserve (GBP) in Delaware Bay, NJ, USA, had dual goals of coastal protection and habitat provisioning, which prompted the development of a goal-driven monitoring framework to track project objectives. Methods were developed to quantify the following multi-disciplinary metrics over 7 years: elevations of CORs, waves (height, period, and direction), shoreline elevations, change in extent of vegetation patches, oyster density and size, nekton richness and community composition, and horseshoe crab impingement. The CORs met most of their habitat provisioning objectives as they were colonized by a multi-generational population of shellfish and created habitat for nekton, while posing negligible hazards to horseshoe crabs. However, none of the coastal protection objectives was fully achieved including material stability, wave attenuation, and sediment elevation increase. Results highlight the value of longer-term monitoring to understand performance and the need to match the scale and type of NbS tactic(s) with both the scale of the landscape and the site-specific hydrodynamic conditions to meet project goals.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Seven Years of Monitoring the Development of an Oyster Reef Living Shoreline
- Creators
- Jenny P. Shinn - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyAmy Bredes - Stevens Institute of TechnologyDavid Bushek - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyLaura Kerr - Stevens Institute of TechnologyDanielle Kreeger - Drexel UniversityDanielle McCulloch - Coastal Carolina UniversityJon Miller - Stevens Institute of TechnologyJoshua Moody - New Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionElla Rothermel - Parternship for the Delaware EstuaryAdrianna Zito-Livingston - The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey
- Publication Details
- Estuaries and coasts, v 48(1), p11
- Publisher
- Springer US; NEW YORK
- Number of pages
- 20
- Grant note
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000202)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001347991200001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85208750018
- Other Identifier
- 991021955315204721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Marine & Freshwater Biology