Project: A cross-site comparison of salt marsh persistence in response to sea-level rise and feedbacks from social adaptations

NSF Award Abstract:

"This project will examine the comparative vulnerability of salt marshes to Sea Level Rise (SLR) in three U.S. Atlantic coastal sites that vary with respect to sediment supply, tidal range and human impacts. The research team will also address how feedbacks from potential adaptations influence marsh vulnerability, associated economic benefits and costs, and practical management decisions. Additional broader impacts include incorporating research results into curriculum used at local schools, an on-line cross-disciplinary graduate course, and on-going teacher-training programs, as well as training one postdoctoral researcher, four graduate students, and eight undergraduate researchers. This project is supported as part of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability program - Coastal SEES.

This project leverages the long-term data, experiments and modeling tools at three Atlantic Coast Long-Term Ecological Research sites (in MA, VA, GA), and addresses the broad interdisciplinary question "How will feedbacks between marsh response to SLR and human adaptation responses to potential marsh loss affect the overall sustainability of the combined socio-ecological systems?" The goals of the project are to understand: 1) how marsh vulnerability to current and projected SLR, with and without adaptation actions, compares across biogeographic provinces and a range of biophysical and social drivers; and 2) which marsh protection actions local stakeholder groups favor, and the broader sustainability and economic value implications of feasible adaptation options. The biophysical research uses historical trends, "point" and spatial models to determine threshold and long-term responses of marshes to SLR. Social responses to marsh vulnerability are integrated with biophysical models through future scenario planning with stakeholders, economic valuation of marsh adaptation options, and focus groups that place the combined project results within a concrete policy planning context to assess how marshes fit into the larger view of coastal socio-ecological sustainability. This integrated approach at multiple sites along gradients of both environmental and human drivers will allow for general conclusions to be made about human-natural system interactions and sustainability that can be broadly applicable to other coastal systems." (from project proposal abstract)

"Data management for the proposed SEES project will be supported by the 3 LTER sites, which conform to the LTER-wide Data Access Policy. The data for the project will be hosted by the VCR LTER; specific policies and procedures regarding data management are outlined in the document: VCR/LTER Information Management Policy." (from Data Management Plan)

More information about the Geolocations provided by the Lead PI: 

1. Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research Site, Virginia Eastern Shore. A coastal barrier landscape with extensive marshes, tidal flats, shallow coastal bays, and barrier islands extending 110 km along the seaward margin of the Delmarva Peninsula.

2. Plum Island Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research Site, Massachusetts. Includes the coupled Parker, Rowley, and Ipswich River watersheds and their associated estuarine areas and tidal marshes. The estuary is macrotidal and is separated from the Gulf of Maine by a barrier island. It includes the largest remaining area of intertidal marshes in the NE US, a large shallow bay, Plum Island Sound, and myriad tidal creeks.

3. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Site, Georgia. Located on the central Georgia coast, and includes upland, intertidal and subtidal habitats. The Altamaha River, the largest source of freshwater to the GCE domain, drains a watershed of 36,700 km2; it has two dams, far upstream, and is free-flowing for 200 km.