Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Salt Marsh Sediment Elevation Monitoring Program
Button K and Feher L . Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Salt Marsh Sediment Elevation Monitoring Program. 2002. National Park Service
The mean elevation of salt marsh surfaces must increase to keep pace with the annual rise in sea level and subsidence of salt marsh organic substrates. If the sedimentation rates in a salt marsh do not equal or exceed the net loss in elevation due to the steady increase in sea level and salt marsh subsidence, it will “drown”. When a salt marsh “drowns”, the surface of the marsh becomes sub-tidal which can cause drastic habitat changes such as the conversion of vegetated salt marsh to unvegetated mud flat. Understanding changes in relative salt marsh elevation is important for interpreting changes in salt marsh vegetation communities. Salt marsh erosion and accretion are also important parameters for measuring the response of formerly impounded marshes to restoration of tidal influence, and will be particularly critical if the rate of sea level rise accelerates as predicted. This project is also part of a worldwide effort to monitor sea level rise with sediment erosion tables (SETs) and cryogenic coring devices. These two techniques measure the amount of erosion and accretion on salt marsh surfaces. Preliminary Monitoring Objectives: Determine long term trends in salt marsh elevation at selected sites in NCBN parks and factors contributing to the observed changes (sediment deposition or erosion). Salt marsh sediment elevation change is measured using sediment erosion tables (SETs). Sediment accretion is measured using marker horizons and either cryogenic corers or the "marsh plug" method.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Button, Kaitlyn; Feher, Laura
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ASIS , CACO , COLO , FIIS , GATE
- Keywords
- Elevation, Salt Marsh, Sediment, SET
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Coastal/Oceanographic Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Wetland Communities
Program
Products
- Salt Marsh Elevation Monitoring at Assateague Island National Seashore: 2009-2024
- Salt Marsh Elevation Monitoring at Cape Cod National Seashore: 1998-2025
- Salt Marsh Elevation Monitoring at Colonial National Historical Park: 2012-2024
- Salt Marsh Elevation Monitoring at Fire Island National Seashore: 2002-2024
- Salt Marsh Elevation Monitoring at Gateway National Recreation Area: 2002-2025
- Surface Elevation Table Measurements Along the Atlantic Seaboard, 2026 Cumulative Data Package
- Surface Elevation Table Measurements Along the Atlantic Seaboard, 2025 Cumulative Data Package
- Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Tidal Wetland Elevation Monitoring Program Safety Plan
- Surface Elevation Table Measurements Along the Atlantic Seaboard, 2024 Cumulative Data Package
- Surface Elevation Table (SET) Data Package
- Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Salt Marsh Sediment Elevation Protocol Development Summary
- 1998-2018, NCBN Sediment Elevation Table Monitoring Data exported from IMD SQL Server database
- The surface elevation table and marker horizon technique: A protocol for monitoring wetland elevation dynamics
- 2019 ASIS Sediment Elevation Table Monitoring Data, exported from IMD SQL Server database
- 2019 CACO Sediment Elevation Table Monitoring Data, exported from IMD SQL Server database
- 2019 COLO Sediment Elevation Table Monitoring Data, exported from IMD SQL Server database
- 2019 FIIS Sediment Elevation Table Monitoring Data, exported from IMD SQL Server database
- 2019 GATE Sediment Elevation Table Monitoring Data, exported from IMD SQL Server database
- 2021 ASIS Sediment Elevation Table Monitoring Data, exported from IMD SQL Server database