Salt Marsh Dynamics in a Period of Accelerated Sea Level Rise



Fagherazzi, Sergio, Mariotti, Giulio, Leonardi, Nicoletta, Canestrelli, Alberto, Nardin, William and Kearney, William S
(2020) Salt Marsh Dynamics in a Period of Accelerated Sea Level Rise. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE, 125 (8).

This is the latest version of this item.

[img] Text
2019JF005200_Merged_PDF.pdf - Submitted version

Download (2MB) | Preview
[img] Text
2019JF005200_Merged_PDF.pdf - Author Accepted Manuscript

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Salt marshes are dynamic systems able to laterally expand, contract, and vertically accrete in response to sea level rise. Here, we present the grand challenges that need to be addressed to fully characterize marsh morphodynamics. The review focuses on physical processes and quantitative models. Without predictive models, it is impossible to determine the future marsh evolution under accelerated sea level rise. In these models, one of the challenges is to resolve both horizontal and vertical dynamics within the same framework. Vertically, the marsh has to accumulate enough material to contrast rising water levels. Horizontally, marsh erosion at the ocean side must be compensated by landward expansion in forests, lawns, and agricultural fields. The dynamics of the marsh‐upland boundary are still not fully understood and will require more research in the upcoming years. The complexity of marsh vegetation is seldom captured in predictive models of marsh evolution. More research is needed to understand the effects of each species or species assemblages on hydrodynamics and sediment transport. Here, we further advocate that a sediment budget resolving all sediment fluxes in a marsh complex is the most important metric of marsh resilience. Characterization of these fluxes will enable to connect salt marshes to other landforms and to unravel feedbacks controlling the evolution of the entire coastal system. Current models of marsh evolution rely on sparse data sets collected at few locations. Novel remote sensing techniques will provide high‐resolution spatial data that will inform a new generation of computer models.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: coastal geomorphology</AUTHOR_KEYWORD>, remote sensing</AUTHOR_KEYWORD>, salt marsh</AUTHOR_KEYWORD>, sea level rise</AUTHOR_KEYWORD>, sediment fluxes</AUTHOR_KEYWORD>
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 09 Sep 2020 08:49
Last Modified: 18 Sep 2023 19:37
DOI: 10.1029/2019JF005200
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3100381

Available Versions of this Item