Subsurface hydrology and nutrient export from barrier island marshes at different tidal ranges.

Abstract

The vertical flux of water, ammonium, and phosphatewas measured from two developing barrier islandmarshes; Hog Island, VA (1.3 m tidal range) andPritchards Island, SC (2.5 m tidal range). Verticalflow and nutrient concentrations from the deposit weremeasured using seepage meters placed on the surface ofthe marsh. Measured water flow was not significantlydifferent between the sites (average = 60.1 and 57.4l m-2h-1for the VA and SC marsh). Verticalflow, calculated from piezometric head gradients andhydraulic conductivity, only accounted for 15 and 4%of measured flow at the VA and SC marshes,respectively. Horizontal flow, calculated as thedifference between measured total flow and calculatedvertical flow, was larger at the SC marsh. Therefore,tidal range seems to influence the direction(horizontal vs. vertical), but not the magnitude oftotal water flow from these developing marshes.Despite a lower tidal range, phosphate flux wassignificantly higher at the VA marsh (69 mmol m-2yr-1) relative to the SC marsh (11 mmol m-2yr-1) probably because of higher porewaterphosphate concentrations. Measured ammonium flux wasnot significantly different between the sites (194 and174 mmol m-2yr-1for the VA and SC marsh).Nutrient concentration must be considered togetherwith tidal range when assessing nutrient export. Thisstudy represents one of few that quantify nutrient andwater export from naturally-developing marshes.Although young marshes are thought to export smallquantities of nutrients and other materials, rates ofnutrient export from these developing marshes weresimilar to rates measured in older marshes. Therelatively high export rates from these developingmarshes were attributed to high rates of subsurfaceflow and high nutrient input from a buried marsh ormudflat located one meter below the present marshsurface. These results have implications fordevelopment of created or restored marshes especiallywhere the goals of those activities are to maximizewetland functions such as nutrient exchange.