Ecological engineering in intertidial saltmarshes

Abstract

Feedbacks between plant biomass density and sedimentation maintain intertidal marshes in equilibrium with mean sea level (MSL). Stable marshes exist at an elevation that is supraoptimal for the biomass density of marsh macrophytes. At this elevation, biomass density is sensitive to changes in MSL, and adjustments in productivity and sedimentation rate help to maintain the marsh in a dynamic equilibrium with sea level, provided that the surface elevation remains within the supraoptimal range of the vegetation. The equilibrium elevation varies inversely with the rate of sea-level rise and directly with biomass density. It was also shown that a succession of intertidal plant communities depends upon the rate of sea level rise and the distribution of biomass density as a function of hydroperiod. Soft engineering solutions to coastal flooding could incorporate planting of marsh vegetation in the intertidal zone for the purpose of promoting sedimentation and dissipating wave energy. A successful design would employ plant species that have varying degrees of tolerance to flooding, maximum drag at their preferred depths, broad ranges within the intertidal zone, and that form a successional series.