Simple metrics predict salt-marsh sediment fluxes
Geophysical Research Letters
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- Data Release: USGS data release - Suspended-sediment concentration data from water samples collected in 2016-17 in Grand Bay, Alabama and Mississippi
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Abstract
The growth (or decay) of salt marshes depends on suspended-sediment flux into and out of the marsh. Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) is a key element of the flux, and SSC-based metrics reflect the long-term sediment-flux trajectories of a variety of salt marshes. One metric, the flood–ebb SSC differential, correlates with area-normalized sediment flux and can indicate salt-marsh resilience over months to years. We hypothesize that these metrics may be relevant over shorter time periods. With data from 13 salt-marsh channels, we show that sediment flux direction and magnitude can be inferred from SSC differential over a wide range of timescales. Furthermore, in settings characterized by a standing tidal wave, the water-level gradient can be used instead of velocity to compute the SSC differential, enabling less-intensive measurements that capture fundamental sediment-flux parameters. Distilling the sediment-flux trajectory into simple metrics improves sediment-budget assessment, drives geomorphic model development, and clarifies field observations.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Simple metrics predict salt-marsh sediment fluxes |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/2019GL083819 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 12250 |
| Last page | 12257 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |