Sea level driven marsh expansion in a coupled model of marsh erosion and migration

Geophysical Research Letters
By: , and 

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Abstract

Coastal wetlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, where ecosystem services such as flood protection depend nonlinearly on wetland size and are threatened by sea level rise and coastal development. Here we propose a simple model of marsh migration into adjacent uplands and couple it with existing models of seaward edge erosion and vertical soil accretion to explore how ecosystem connectivity influences marsh size and response to sea level rise. We find that marsh loss is nearly inevitable where topographic and anthropogenic barriers limit migration. Where unconstrained by barriers, however, rates of marsh migration are much more sensitive to accelerated sea level rise than rates of edge erosion. This behavior suggests a counterintuitive, natural tendency for marsh expansion with sea level rise and emphasizes the disparity between coastal response to climate change with and without human intervention.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Sea level driven marsh expansion in a coupled model of marsh erosion and migration
Series title Geophysical Research Letters
DOI 10.1002/2016GL068507
Volume 43
Issue 9
Year Published 2016
Language English
Publisher American Geophysical Union
Publisher location Washington, D.C.
Contributing office(s) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Description 8 p.
First page 4366
Last page 4373
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