Temporary vegetation disturbance as an explanation for permanent loss of tidal wetlands

Physics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

8

Hydrology: Geomorphology: General (1625), Global Change: Sea Level Change (1222, 1225, 4556), Hydrology: Wetlands (0497), Global Change: Earth System Modeling (1225), Biogeosciences: Ecosystems, Structure And Dynamics (4815)

Scientific paper

Coastal ecosystems respond to sea level and sediment supply change according to complex, three-way interactions between vegetation, hydrology, and sediment transport. While biogeomorphic feedbacks preserve the morphology of intertidal surfaces covered by marshland, we demonstrate with numerical model and field experimentation that temporary disturbance to vegetation facilitates rapid and widespread degradation. Vertical accretion slows in disturbed areas, allowing localized submergence of the marsh platform, tidal prism enlargement, and permanent channel network expansion. Vegetated portions of an episodically disturbed platform accrete more rapidly than rates of relative sea level rise, giving submerging marshland the appearance of maintaining elevation. This feedback between vegetation disturbance and channel erosion, and its effect on platform accretion, may explain peculiar patterns of wetland loss in Europe and North America.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Temporary vegetation disturbance as an explanation for permanent loss of tidal wetlands does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Temporary vegetation disturbance as an explanation for permanent loss of tidal wetlands, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Temporary vegetation disturbance as an explanation for permanent loss of tidal wetlands will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-957322

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.