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Climate Change and Extreme Weather Impacts on Salt Marsh Plants
Citation:
OCZKOWSKI, A., C. WIGAND, E. MARKHAM, ALANA HANSON, E. W. DAVEY, AND R. L. JOHNSON. Climate Change and Extreme Weather Impacts on Salt Marsh Plants. Presented at Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) 21st Biennial Conference. Societies, Estuaries and Coasts: Adapting to Change, Daytona Beach, FL, November 06 - 10, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
This study will allow us to assess the potential of salt marshes to intercept and mitigate increased rain N fluxes before they reach sensitive coastal waters. It will also provide preliminary evidence for how the nitrogen balance of salt marshes will respond to the effects of sea-level rise and rainier weather associated with climate change.
Description:
Regional assessments of climate change impacts on New England demonstrate a clear rise in rainfall over the past century. The number of extreme precipitation events (i.e., two or more inches of rain falling during a 48-hour period) has also increased over the past few decades. As part of a larger effort to examine the interacting hydrologic effects of increasing rainfall, extreme storms, and sea level rise on salt marsh plants (Spartina patens and Typha latifolia), we conducted mesocosm experiments to consider how efficiently nitrogen (N) in the rain is being retained by seagrass and cattails at various positions in the marsh. By adding a nitrogen stable isotope tracer to the rainfall treatments (ambient, extreme, drought), we quantified the N allocation and retention for plants receiving different pulses of rain at different positions in the salt marsh. Our hypothesis is that the vegetation will be less effective at retaining N delivered via extreme rains as there is less time for N uptake and transformation. We provide preliminary evidence for how the nitrogen balance of salt marshes will respond to the effects of sea-level rise and rainier weather associated with climate change.