Rate Of Relative Sea-level Rise Research Articles

Vulnerability of Louisiana\u2019s coastal wetlands to present-day rates of relative sea-level rise

Coastal Louisiana has lost about 5,000 km2 of wetlands over the past century and concern exists whether remaining wetlands will persist while facing some of the world’s highest rates of relative sea-level rise (RSLR). Here we analyse an unprecedented data set derived from 274 rod surface-elevation table-marker horizon stations, to determine present-day surface-elevation change, vertical accretion and shallow subsidence rates. Comparison of vertical accretion rates with RSLR rates at the land surface (present-day RSLR rates are 12±8 mm per year) shows that 65% of wetlands in the Mississippi Delta (SE Louisiana) may keep pace with RSLR, whereas 58% of the sites in the Chenier Plain (SW Louisiana) do not, rendering much of this area highly vulnerable to RLSR. At least 60% of the total subsidence rate occurs within the uppermost 5–10 m, which may account for the higher vulnerability of coastal Louisiana wetlands compared to their counterparts elsewhere.

Assessment of the susceptibility of the coast of Astypalaea Island (S.E. Aegean Sea) to sea level rise.

The aim of this paper is the classification of the coast of Astypalaea Island (S.E Aegean Sea) according to its susceptibility to an anticipated future sea-level rise, using the Coastal Sensitivity Index (CSI), and utilizing GIS technology. This index allows the following six physical variables: geomorphology, coastal slope, relative sea-level rise rate, shoreline erosion or accretion rate, mean tidal range and mean wave height, to be related in a semi-quantitative manner. Each variable is ranked on the basis of its potential contribution to physical changes on the coast as sea-level rises. Following the CSI calculation, a map is produced for the coastline of the island. This map showed that an extensive length of the coast (121.5 km, corresponding to 84.6% of the island’s coastline) is characterized as very low and low sensitive. Only 12.1 km of the coast, corresponding to 8.5% of the entire coastline, is characterized as very highly and highly sensitive to sea- level rise, primarily due to the low topography and the presence of highly erodible geological formations and landforms. Areas of high and very high CSI values host socioeconomically important land uses and activities as well as environmentally protected areas.

Scottish saline lagoons: Impacts and challenges of climate change

The majority of Scotland's saline lagoons are located on the low-lying coastlines of the Western Isles and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland, where recorded annual relative sea level rise rates are among the highest in Scotland. The sediment-impounded lagoons of Orkney and Shetland will either lose their impoundment and become incorporated in marine coastal waters, or become increasingly saline, as relative sea levels rise. The rock-basin lagoons of the Western Isles will retain their restricted exchange with the sea but will also become more saline with rising sea level. Specialist lagoonal organisms tend to have wide salinity tolerances but may succumb to competition from marine counterparts. In all areas, there are sufficient fresh-water inland water bodies with potential to be captured as lagoons to compensate for loss of extent and number, but the specialist lagoon biota tend to have limited dispersal powers. It is thus possible that they will be unable to transfer to their analogue sites before existing lagoons become fully marine, giving conservation managers the problem of deciding on management options: leave natural processes to operate without interference, manage the saline inflow to maintain the current salinity regime, or translocate lagoon organisms perceived as threatened by rising salinities. Timing of conversion and capture is unpredictable due to local topography and complications caused by variable stratification.

Reverse migration of lithofacies boundaries and shoreline in response to sea‐level rise

AbstractThe migration of the lithofacies boundaries preserved in the sedimentary record is key to interpreting changes in depositional environments. Grain size is one of the most recognizable physical characteristics of lithofacies. The advance and retreat of grain‐size breaks, as a proxy for lithofacies boundaries (e.g. gravel–sand transition), is commonly attributed to variations in external controls (e.g. climate, sea level and tectonic subsidence). While most models of fluviodeltaic systems focus on predicting the response of the shoreline to these forcings, none have thoroughly incorporated the migration of grain‐size transitions (GST) that coevolve with the shoreline. We present a numerical delta evolution model that treats both the shoreline and GST as moving boundaries to provide quantitative understanding of the dynamic interaction between the downstream boundary (shoreline) and the upstream lithofacies boundaries (GSTs) of the fluviodeltaic system under relative sea‐level rise. We tested a range of relative sea‐level rise rates in the model. The shoreline and GST gradually reduced their progradation rates and eventually retreated landward as the fluviodeltaic topset and foreset elongated. However, their timings of retreat were different, resulting in a counterintuitive case for a quicker retreat of GST while the shoreline still continued to advance. A series of scaled flume experiments with a sand and crushed walnut sediment mixture captured the same behaviours of these two moving boundaries. We found that GST experienced higher relative sea‐level rise (RSLR) rates than the shoreline. This additional RSLR rate scales with the downstream river slope and the shoreline progradation rate to cause earlier GST retreat in comparison to the shoreline. The fundamental understanding from this study of migration of both the GST and shoreline in fluviodeltaic systems will aid in accurately assessing the trajectories of GST in sedimentary strata as a proxy for environmental change.

Revisiting salt marsh resilience to sea level rise: Are ponds responsible for permanent land loss?

AbstractPonds are unvegetated rounded depressions commonly present on marsh platforms. The role of ponds on the long‐term morphological evolution of tidal marshes is unclear—at times ponds expand but eventually recover the marsh platform, at other times ponds never recover and lead to permanent marsh loss. Existing field observations indicate that episodic disturbances of the marsh vegetation cause the formation of small (1–10 m) isolated ponds, even if the vegetated platform keeps pace with relative sea level rise (RSLR) and that isolated ponds tend to deepen and enlarge until they eventually connect to the channel network. Here I implement a simple model to study the vertical and planform evolution of a single connected pond. A newly connected pond recovers if its bed lies above the limit for marsh plant growth or if the inorganic deposition rate is larger than the RSLR rate. A pond that cannot accrete faster than RSLR will deepen and enlarge, eventually entering a runaway erosion by wave edge retreat. A large tidal range, a large sediment supply, and a low rate of RSLR favor pond recovery. The model suggests that inorganic sediment deposition alone controls pond recovery, even in marshes where organic matter dominates accretion of the vegetated platform. As such, halting permanent marsh loss by pond collapse requires to increase inorganic sediment deposition. Because pond collapse is possible even if the vegetated platform keeps pace with RSLR, I conclude that marsh resilience to RSLR is less than previously quantified.

Past, Present and Future Perspectives of Sediment Compaction as a Driver of Relative Sea Level and Coastal Change

Compaction describes a range of natural syn- and post-depositional processes that reduce the volume of sediments deposited in low-lying coastal areas, causing land-level lowering and a distortion of stratigraphic sequences. Compaction affects our reconstructions and understanding of historic sea levels, influences how relative sea level changes in the future and can act as a catalyst for rapid, widespread changes in coastal geomorphology. Rates of compaction-induced relative sea-level rise vary across space and through time in response to a range of natural and anthropogenically accelerated processes and conditions. This paper provides a summary of our understanding of the causes and effects of compaction, considering findings from key palaeoenvironmental and stratigraphic studies, sea-level reconstructions and recent observational data. It then considers the implications of these findings for our ability to project compaction-induced relative sea-level and associated coastal changes into the future.

Tectonic Subsidence of California Estuaries Increases Forecasts of Relative Sea-Level Rise

Even along the generally uplifting coast of the Pacific US, local geologic structures can cause subsidence. In this study, we quantify Holocene-averaged subsidence rates in four estuaries (Carpinteria Slough, Goleta Slough, Campus Lagoon, and Morro Bay) along the southern and central California coast by comparing radiocarbon-dated estuarine material to a regional sea-level curve. Holocene-averaged rates of vertical motion range from subsidence of 1.4 ± 2.4, 1.2±0.4, and 0.4 ± 0.3 mm/year in Morro Bay, Carpinteria Slough, and Goleta Slough, respectively, to possible uplift in Campus Lagoon (−0.1 ± 0.9 mm/year). The calculated rates of subsidence are of the same magnitude as rates of relative sea-level rise experienced over the late Holocene and effectively double the ongoing rates of relative sea-level rise experienced over the last five decades on other parts of the coast. The difference in rates of vertical motion among these four estuaries is attributed to their geological settings. Estuaries developed in subsiding geological structures such as synclines and fault-bounded basins are subsiding at much higher rates than those developed within flooded river valleys incised into marine terraces. Restoration projects accounting for future sea-level rise must consider the geologic setting of the estuaries and, if applicable, include subsidence in future sea-level rise scenarios, even along the tectonically uplifting US Pacific Coast.

Relative sea-level change in northeastern Florida (USA) during the last ∼8.0 ka

An existing database of relative sea-level (RSL) reconstructions from the U.S. Atlantic coast lacked valid sea-level index points from Georgia and Florida. This region lies on the edge of the collapsing forebulge of the former Laurentide Ice Sheet making it an important location for understanding glacio-isostatic adjustment and the history of ice-sheet melt. To address the paucity of data, we reconstruct RSL in northeastern Florida (St. Marys) over the last ∼8.0 ka from samples of basal salt-marsh sediment that minimize the influence of compaction. The analogy between modern salt-marsh foraminifera and their fossil counterparts preserved in the sedimentary record was used to estimate paleomarsh surface elevation. Sample ages were determined by radiocarbon dating of identifiable and in-situ plant macrofossils. This approach yielded 25 new sea-level index points that constrain a ∼5.7 m rise in RSL during the last ∼8.0 ka. The record shows that no highstand in sea level occurred in this region over the period of the reconstruction. We compared the new reconstruction to Earth-ice models ICE 6G-C VM5a and ICE 6G-C VM6. There is good fit in the later part of the Holocene with VM5a and for a brief time in the earlier Holocene with VM6. However, there are discrepancies in model-reconstruction fit in the early to mid Holocene in northeastern Florida and elsewhere along the Atlantic coast at locations with early Holocene RSL reconstructions. The most pronounced feature of the new reconstruction is a slow down in the rate of RSL rise from approximately 5.0 to 3.0 ka. This trend may reflect a significant contribution from local-scale processes such as tidal-range change and/or change in base flow of the St. Marys River in response to paleoclimate changes. However, the spatial expression (local vs. regional) of this slow down is undetermined and corroborative records are needed to establish its geographical extent.

Soil creep in salt marshes

A puzzling aspect of marsh morphodynamics is the occurrence of channel bank slumping despite the absence of channel widening and lateral migration. An apparently unrelated conundrum is why the vertical accretion rate on the low marsh adjacent to channels is higher than the rate of relative sea-level rise; this sedimentation excess should not occur at steady state or in a regime of accelerated sea-level rise. Here we suggest that lateral erosion and vertical sedimentation on channel banks are linked by creep, the process by which soil is moved downslope by gravity. The model presented herein predicts a dynamic equilibrium configuration for the cross section such that sedimentation excess on the channel banks is transferred by creep toward the channel, where tidal flow erosion and suspended sediment transport directed toward the banks close the sediment budget. This model predicts that bank slumping is an equivocal indicator of ongoing marsh loss and that high sedimentation rates on channel banks do not necessarily constitute a margin of resilience to accelerated sea-level rise.

Marsh accretion and sediment accumulation in a managed tidal wetland complex of Delaware Bay

Wetland impoundments are created to provide ecological benefits such as water quality improvement, mosquito control, and migratory bird habitat. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, located on the southwestern shore of the Delaware Bay, is composed of four interconnected wetland management units. Tidal inflow from Delaware Bay to Units I and IV occurs naturally, whereas flow to Units II and III has been restricted by tidal gates since the mid-1980s. To assess the accretionary status of Refuge marshes and inform an ongoing restoration, we investigated soil physical properties and developed 137Cs and 210Pb radiochronologies for cores collected at twelve sites. Results indicate that marsh accretion is driven by a combination of mineral sediment and organic matter accumulation, the relative proportions of which vary among and within the wetland units. Accretion rates (0.11–0.54cm/y) were found to be significantly correlated with organic matter accumulation but not with mineral sediment accumulation. These relationships demonstrate that biotic contributions to marsh accretion, such as belowground biomass productivity, must be considered in marsh restoration strategies, in addition to the supply of mineral sediment. At eight of the sites, the contribution of mineral sediment to the total volume of the soils has decreased significantly since the early 1900s, predating the impoundment works, perhaps in association with closure of two tidal inlets by natural processes. By comparison, changes in organic soil volume were relatively small over the same time span. At seven of the sites the marsh is accreting at, to just below, the rate of local relative sea-level rise (0.34±0.03cm/y) with potential for submergence on the long term. Additional research at the Refuge is needed to better align measurements of marsh accretion, relative sea-level from tide gauges, and wetland elevation change.

Analysis of long-period sea-level variation around the Korean Peninsula

ABSTRACT Yoon, J.J., 2016. Analysis of long-period sea-level variation around the Korean Peninsula. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 1432 - 1436. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Regional long-term changes in sea level were investigated at 19 tidal stations located around the Korean Peninsula using more than 30 years of tide-gauge data. Regression analysis was applied to these data, and general trends of long-term change (1960–2014) in RSL (relative sea level) were estimated at each station. The results showed that the rates of RSL rise around Korea were higher than the global mean. Rates of RSL rise were relatively small along the western coast (average of 2.0 mm/yr.), large along the southern and eastern coasts (average of 2.8 and 3.6 mm/yr., respectively), and very large around Jeju Island (average of 3.8 mm/yr.). The rat...

Restoration of the Chandeleur Barrier Arc, Louisiana

ABSTRACT FitzGerald, D.M., Georgiou, I., and Kulp, M., 2016. Restortation of the Chandeleur Barrier arc. Louisiana. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 1282 - 1286. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The north-south trending barrier arc of the Chandeleur Islands protects valuable wetlands and reduces hurricane impacts in southeastern Louisiana. Avulsion of the lower Mississippi River ~ 1500 ka led to reworking of the St. Bernard deltaic headland concentrating sand and producing the proto-Chandeleur Islands. During the same period, landward interior delta plain erosion and subsidence formed Chandeleur Sound. Since the 1980's, isolation from new sand sources, high rates of relative sea-level rise (5 mm/yr), and hurricane impacts have produced a low transgressive barrier, periodically breached by numerous hurricane passes. Much of t...

Contrasting decadal-scale changes in elevation and vegetation in two Long Island Sound salt marshes.

Northeastern US salt marshes face multiple co-stressors, including accelerating rates of relative sea level rise (RSLR), elevated nutrient inputs, and low sediment supplies. In order to evaluate how marsh surface elevations respond to such factors, we used surface elevation tables (SETs) and surface elevation pins to measure changes in marsh surface elevation in two eastern Long Island Sound salt marshes, Barn Island and Mamacoke Marsh. We compare marsh elevation change at these two systems with recent rates of RSLR and find evidence of differences between the two sites; Barn Island is maintaining its historic rate of elevation gain (2.3± 0.24 mm yr-1 from 2003 to 2013) and is no longer keeping pace with RSLR, while Mamacoke shows evidence of a recent increase in rates (4.2 ± 0.52 mm yr-1 from 1994 to 2014) to maintain its elevation relative to sea level. In addition to data on short-term elevation responses at these marshes, both sites have unusually long and detailed data on historic vegetation species composition extending back more than half a century. Over this study period, vegetation patterns track elevation change relative to sea levels, with the Barn Island plant community shifting towards those plants that are found at lower elevations and the Mamacoke vegetation patterns showing little change in plant composition. We hypothesize that the apparent contrasting trend in marsh elevation at the sites is due to differences in sediment availability, salinity, and elevation capital. Together these two systems provide critical insight into the relationships between marsh elevation, high marsh plant community, and changing hydroperiods. Our results highlight that not all marshes in southern New England may be responding to accelerated rates of RSLR in the same manner.

Spatial response of coastal marshes to increased atmospheric CO2

The elevation and extent of coastal marshes are dictated by the interplay between the rate of relative sea-level rise (RRSLR), surface accretion by inorganic sediment deposition, and organic soil production by plants. These accretion processes respond to changes in local and global forcings, such as sediment delivery to the coast, nutrient concentrations, and atmospheric CO2, but their relative importance for marsh resilience to increasing RRSLR remains unclear. In particular, marshes up-take atmospheric CO2 at high rates, thereby playing a major role in the global carbon cycle, but the morphologic expression of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration, an imminent aspect of climate change, has not yet been isolated and quantified. Using the available observational literature and a spatially explicit ecomorphodynamic model, we explore marsh responses to increased atmospheric CO2, relative to changes in inorganic sediment availability and elevated nitrogen levels. We find that marsh vegetation response to foreseen elevated atmospheric CO2 is similar in magnitude to the response induced by a varying inorganic sediment concentration, and that it increases the threshold RRSLR initiating marsh submergence by up to 60% in the range of forcings explored. Furthermore, we find that marsh responses are inherently spatially dependent, and cannot be adequately captured through 0-dimensional representations of marsh dynamics. Our results imply that coastal marshes, and the major carbon sink they represent, are significantly more resilient to foreseen climatic changes than previously thought.

Reading the signatures of biologic–geomorphic feedbacks in salt-marsh landscapes

How do interacting physical and biological processes control the form and evolution of salt-marsh landscapes? Salt marshes are shaped by the erosion, transport and deposition of sediment, all of which are mediated by vegetation. In addition, vegetation plays a key role in deposition of organic material within marsh sediments. The influence of biota on salt-marsh landscapes is indeed well established. However, a fascinating and relevant question is whether one can identify the signatures of the underlying and intertwined physical and biological processes in marsh landscapes, and indeed infer from them the dynamic behavior of these coupled physical and biological systems. Can one detect landscape features that would not have emerged in the absence of interactions and feedbacks between physical and biological processes?Here we use field evidence and a two-dimensional biomorphodynamic model to show that the interplay between physical and biological processes generates striking biological and morphological patterns. One such pattern, vegetation zonation, consists of a mosaic of vegetation patches, of approximately uniform composition, displaying sharp transitions in the presence of extremely small topographic gradients. The model describes the mutual interaction and adjustment between tidal flows, sediment transport, morphology, and vegetation distribution, thus allowing us to study the biomorphodynamic evolution of salt-marsh platforms. A number of different scenarios were modelled to analyze the changes induced in bio-geomorphic patterns by varying environmental forcings, such as the rate of relative sea level rise (RSLR) andsediment supply (SS), and by plant species with different characteristics. Model results show how marsh responses to changes in forcings are highly spatially dependent: while changes in SS most directly affect marsh areas closest to the channels, changes in the rate of RSLR affect the marsh platform as a whole. Organic sediment accretion is very important for allowing marshes to compete with increasing rates of RSLR near watershed divides, whereas inorganic sedimentation is more important closer to the channels. Increasing sediment supply to coastal marshes, therefore, might not compensate for rising sea levels, particularly in the inner marsh portions. Model results also emphasize that biodiversity is strongly controlled by environmental forcings and that zonation patterns are a signature of bio-geomorphic feedbacks with vegetation acting as a landscape constructor which feeds back on, directly alters, and contributes to shape tidal environments. Finally, the model generates realistic frequency distributions of vegetation occurrence, which nicely meet observed ones.

Mangrove Sedimentation and Response to Relative Sea-Level Rise

Mangroves occur on upper intertidal shorelines in the tropics and subtropics. Complex hydrodynamic and salinity conditions, related primarily to elevation and hydroperiod, influence mangrove distributions; this review considers how these distributions change over time. Accumulation rates of allochthonous and autochthonous sediment, both inorganic and organic, vary between and within different settings. Abundant terrigenous sediment can form dynamic mudbanks, and tides redistribute sediment, contrasting with mangrove peat in sediment-starved carbonate settings. Sediments underlying mangroves sequester carbon but also contain paleoenvironmental records of adjustments to past sea-level changes. Radiometric dating indicates long-term sedimentation, whereas measurements made using surface elevation tables and marker horizons provide shorter perspectives, indicating shallow subsurface processes of root growth and substrate autocompaction. Many tropical deltas also experience deep subsidence, which augments relative sea-level rise. The persistence of mangroves implies an ability to cope with moderately high rates of relative sea-level rise. However, many human pressures threaten mangroves, resulting in a continuing decline in their extent throughout the tropics.

Insight into the late Holocene sea-level changes in the NW Atlantic from a paraglacial beach-ridge plain south of Newfoundland

Constructional sedimentary features can provide insight into past changes in relative sea-level (RSL) in regions where traditional bio-stratigraphic markers are absent. The paraglacial beach-ridge plain at Miquelon-Langlade, located 50km south of Newfoundland, is an example of a well-preserved regressive barrier. Initiation of this plain correlates with a decrease in the rate of RSL rise (from +4.4mm/yr to ~1.3mm/yr) at around 3000years ago. It developed under conditions of normal regression during a period of slow RSL rise (<1.3mm/yr). The barrier is composed of two oppositely prograding mixed sand-and-gravel beach-ridge systems, which evolved contemporaneously along two open coasts. The growth of these features reflects high rates of sediment influx that was sourced from the erosion of proximal glacigenic sediment (moraines) and reworked alongshore and across-shore by wave action. The combination of stratigraphic (ground-penetrating radar and sediment cores), topographic (RTK-GPS) and chronologic (optically stimulated luminescence, OSL) data provide a detailed understanding of the constructional history of the plain. The well-defined contact between coarse-grained, wave-built facies and overlying aeolian deposits is used to demonstrate the dominant influences of RSL change in the development of the barrier system and produce a RSL curve over the period of its formation. A net increase of 2.4m in the surface elevation of wave-built facies is observed across the plain, corresponding to the increase in mean sea-level during its formation. Coupled with OSL dates, trends in elevation of the wave-built facies across the plain are used to reconstruct the relative sea-level history during this period. Acknowledging the uncertainties inherent in the method applied in this study, three distinct periods of sea-level rise can be distinguished: (1) an increase from 2.4 to 1m below modern MSL between 2400 and 1500years (average rate of +1.3mm/yr); (2) relatively stable or slowly rising RSL (<+0.2mm/yr) from 1400 to 700years; and (3) a rise of ca. 0.7m during the past 700years (+1.1mm/yr). This study not only produces the first RSL reconstruction for the Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon archipelago but also provides: (i) additional details of RSL changes in a region exhibiting great spatial variations in RSL histories (Newfoundland); (ii) field confirmation that wave-built/aeolian stratigraphic contacts in beach ridges can provide a powerful tool for sea-level reconstructions in mixed clastic systems; and (iii) evidence that sediment influxes can outpace the rate of accommodation creation producing a broad, progradational coastal system.

Hurricane-Induced Sedimentation Improves Marsh Resilience and Vegetation Vigor under High Rates of Relative Sea Level Rise

During the next century coastal marsh sustainability will largely depend on whether or not marshes can keep pace with rising sea levels while weathering more frequent and/or intense storms. In particular, hurricanes have the potential to inflict widespread damage to coastal systems, but can also deliver nourishing inorganic sediment. To determine if hurricane-induced sedimentation can enhance marsh condition and promote marsh sustainability, even in regions of high relative sea level rise (RSLR), we experimentally assessed primary productivity and marsh resilience in marshes that were subject to various levels of hurricane-induced sedimentation in 2005 and 2008 in coastal Louisiana, where RSLR is accelerated due to land subsidence. Primary production and marsh resilience, i.e., recovery rate of plant cover after an experimental disturbance, increased in response to hurricane-induced sedimentation. Sedimentation led to a more oxidized soil environment, reduced porewater sulfide concentrations, and increased porewater phosphorus and exchangeable soil iron and manganese concentrations. Improved soil physicochemical conditions were likely responsible for the increased productivity and resilience, even with the high rates of RSLR the area experiences. This suggests that when storm-induced sedimentation is sufficient, stability of coastal marshes may be enhanced, at least for some time, helping to cope with sea level rise.

A three-dimensional surface velocity field for the Mississippi Delta: Implications for coastal restoration and flood potential

Accurate estimates of the current rate of subsidence in the Mississippi Delta (southern United States) provide a context for planning of wetland restoration and predictions of storm surge flooding. We present a comprehensive three-dimensional surface velocity field for the Mississippi Delta based on a network of 36 high-precision continuous GPS stations. We show that while the majority of the delta is relatively stable, the southern portion continues to experience high rates of subsidence (5–6 mm yr –1 ). Our data are consistent with long-term tide gauge records at Grand Isle, Louisiana, and several stations in Florida. The current rate of relative sea-level rise (combined effect of land subsidence and sea-level rise) along parts of the coastal delta is ~8–9 mm yr –1 . Most tide gauge stations have recorded sea-level-rise acceleration after A.D. 1970. These data have implications for land reclamation and wetland restoration in the region; parts of the delta may not be viable in the long term.

The Declining Role of Organic Matter in New England Salt Marshes

The Northeast USA is experiencing severe impacts of a changing climate, including increased winter temperatures and accelerated relative sea level rise (RSLR). The sediment-poor, organic-rich nature of many Southern New England salt marshes makes them particularly vulnerable to these changes. In order to assess how marsh accretion has changed over time, we returned to Narragansett Bay, RI where salt marsh vertical accretion rates were documented almost 30 years ago. Using radionuclide tracers (210Pb and 137Cs), we observe no significant change in overall accretion rates (0.27–0.69 cm year−1) compared to historical averages (0.24–0.60 cm year−1), but we document a shift in how these marshes maintain elevation. Organic matter now plays a smaller role in contributing to vertical accretion across all study sites, declining by 22 % on average. We attribute this reduction to potentially higher decomposition rates fueled by higher water temperature. Inorganic matter also contributes less to accretion (declining by 44 % on average at marshes located more internal to the estuary), likely due to diminishing sediment supply in this region. With organic and inorganic solids accounting for less of the total accretion, several of the marshes are experiencing symptoms of swelling, with water and porespace contributing more towards accretion compared to historical values. Accretion rates (0.27–0.45 cm year−1) at these organic-rich (>40 % sediment organic matter) marshes are predominantly lower than the current (30 years) rate of RSLR (0.41 ± 0.07 cm year−1). These results, combined with the increased rate of RSLR and the hardened shorelines inhibiting landward migration, call into question the long-term survivability of these marshes.