Projecting a Greenhouse Rise in Sea Level on Saltmarsh and Mangrove Habitats in New South Wales.

Abstract

A half metre to one metre rise in sea level will reshape much of the NSW coastline; among other things, ocean beaches will be eroded ad restructured, and estuarine foreshores will be altered. As there are over 100 estuaries in NSW (West et al. 1985), the extent of shoreline change could be enormous. Wetland communities comprised mainly of seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh species exist in most NSW coastal water bodies. A rise in water level will change the distribution of these communities, and a landward migration can be expected. The extent of migration will be determined by available space, i.e. if floodplains are extensive there could be a net gain in estuarine vegetation; however, in catchments where landward barriers predominate, a net loss would be expected. Barriers could be of two types; natural barriers such as ridges and steep hills, and artificial barriers such as causeways and enbankments.