Sea-level rise and coastal marsh sustainability: geological and ecological factors in the Mississippi delta plain

Abstract

Chronostratigraphic approaches to coastal geomorphology frequently include consideration of salt marsh deposits as indicators of past sea-level positions. Continuous horizons of such deposits can be used to infer that salt marshes were keeping pace with local rates of relative sea-level rise (RSLR). Rates of past accumulation, estimated using dating techniques, are then used to hindcast the rate of sea-level rise in that area. Estimates of contemporary sea-level rise rates are often derived from tide gauge records. This approach allows identification of subdecadal variations in mean water level. Accumulation rates of both organic and inorganic sediments can also be derived at these time scales and studies from many coastal marshes demonstrate the episodic nature of inorganic sediment deposition. The frequency and spacing of these events does not necessarily coincide with periods of increased local sea level. In addition, short-term increases in sea level could result in marsh deterioration as soils become excessively waterlogged. A conceptual model of changes in geomorphic and ecological processes contributing to marsh sustainability during the Holocene has been developed for the Mississippi delta plain (MDP). The survival of some marshes in this area, despite high rates of subsidence, indicates that the combined effect of organic and inorganic accumulation processes can be adequate to sustain coastal marshes in the face of sea-level rise.