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Climate Change and Coastal Wetlands Presented by: Sidrotun Naim Susanna Pearlstein Valerie Herman Matt Carter Global Natural Disaster US Coastal and Marine Facts 95,000 miles of coastlines 3.4 million square miles of ocean 53% of US population live on the 17% of land in the coastal zones Global sea level rise: 4-8 inches in century Estimation: additional 19 inches by 2100 How coastal and marine environments are linked to our climate Shoreline erosion and Human communities Threats to Estuarine Health Estuaries are extremely productive ecosystems Increased run-off would deliver increased amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus Decreased run-off would reduce flushing, decrease the size of nursery zones, allowing predators to penetrate Coastal Wetland Survival Coral Reef Die Offs Stresses on Marine Fisheries Annual Shoreline Change Wetlands Chapter 11 Methane, CH4, emitters 20-25% global emissions 50% of world wetlands LOST, methane emissions are increasing, anthropomorphic causes 21 times more effective greenhouse gas than CO2 Carbon sequestration 20-30% stored in wetlands Peat deposits Permafrost Restored & created wetlands Mid Atlantic Coastal (MAC) Region Poor water quality Coastal Squeeze Heavily Populated! http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/index.html Delaware Bay 1.6% of DE lost 21% of marsh land flooded But <1% of affected area Is developed Chesapeake Bay Salt water marshes today lack Sediment Oxygen Organic matter accumulation Due to: Poor water quality Dams Farmland abandonment Now add climate change…. Most hypoxic estuary in MAC Fresh water marshes have high river sediment influxes Steep topography, sea level rise will increase erosion Management & Warnings Wetlands will be protected if they fall under socially significant areas Repeating the inland floodplain experience Federal subsides for dynamic & hazardous zones Structures to control hazards & sea level rise Increasing vulnerability Chemical and Biological Changes Extreme weather events and rising sea level alters: Salinity Ionic Exchanges pH Microbial Communities Organic and Inorganic Content Nutrient Exchanges Earlier litterfall 3 - 5 times as much N, Mg, P, K Transported during runoff /flooding Nutrient uptake is hindered by: Uprooting Swaying Water logging Damages to Plants/Animals “Woody vegetation” is damaged more than “herbaceous vegetation” Breakage increases infestation Microbial community differs in aerobic and anaerobic conditions Water quality directly affects food chain Hypoxia Image from www.montgomerybotanical.org Osmotic stress Turbidity Seed distribution Biodiversity Mitigation Allow sediment to distribute naturally Plan communities that allow coastal wetland migration Project future outcomes using models: Space-For-Time Substitution paired with long-term monitoring Image from soundbook.soundkeeper.org Hurricanes lose their force dramatically as the system moves toward land, therefore wetlands around coast regions provide delicate buffer zones to slow the storm system down before it reaches more populated regions. The levees in New Orleans are causing dramatic wetland loss. The levees built to prevent flooding in the cities also prevent recharge of coast wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta. The Delta is cut off from its life force and is being destroyed at a rate of 24 sq. miles a year. Over 1900 sq. miles have disappeared since the 1930s. As the wetlands decrease, the city becomes more and more vulnerable to hurricane without the precious buffer zone. Fixing the problem is costly and time consuming. Old Christmas trees are strategically place around the delta to collect sediment, and 14 billion dollars is being used for manual sediment recharge and diversion of the Mississippi around the levees to recharge other areas of the delta. Hurricanes are actually vital for wetland survival in that the storm surge washes and spreads all of the sediment, silt, and nutrients the wetlands of the delta could ever need. A hurricane of smaller proportions could easily do the work of all of the wetland projects.
