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Exploring the use of living shorelines for stabilization and nutrient mitigation in New England
Citation:
Schoell, M., S. Ayvazian, D. Cobb, D. Grunden, Marty Chintala, A. Gerber-Williams, A. Pimenta, C. Strobel, AND K. Rocha. Exploring the use of living shorelines for stabilization and nutrient mitigation in New England. Ecological Restoration. Society for Ecological Restoration, 41(2-3):84-98, (2023). https://doi.org/10.3368/er.41.2-3.84
Impact/Purpose:
Coastal environments provide unique ecological, social, and economic benefits to society that extend well beyond shoreline communities (Barbier et al. 2011). These dynamic, productive habitats at the land-sea interface are valuable sources of both recreation and natural resources, yet natural and anthropogenic stressors threaten their extent and stability. Shoreline stabilization techniques have long been in practice yet continue to evolve (Charlier et al. 2005; Dugan et al. 2011). An increasingly popular shoreline stabilization technique called a living shoreline is a nature-based alternative that is intended to be dynamic, using naturally occurring or biodegradable materials to enhance the overall habitat quality and resilience of coastal environments while also helping to minimize some of the ecological issues associated with hardened shoreline structures. (Bilkovic et al. 2016). We report the results of a three-year study in which three living shorelines were installed and monitored along an eroding salt marsh in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts (MA), a location exposed to intense northeast winds, especially during storm events. The objectives of this research were to examine two ecosystem services provided by living shorelines: enhancing shoreline stabilization and nitrogen removal. We measured spatial and temporal changes in denitrification rates and explored how multiple biotic and abiotic environmental parameters influenced these rates. Lastly, we measured marsh edge erosion and sediment capture within the study area over time. This work will improve our understanding of the function of living shorelines in New England and other areas exposed to severe winds and storms, thus expanding our view of this restoration technique as both an innovative nitrogen removal tool and an erosion control method.
Description:
As salt marsh habitats face challenges due to sea level rise, storm events, and coastal development, there is an effort to use nature-based approaches such as living shorelines to enhance salt marshes and provide coastal protection. A living shoreline restoration and seasonal monitoring was conducted between July 2016 and October 2018 at an eroding salt marsh on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, Northeastern USA to assess changes in two essential ecosystem services: shoreline stabilization and nitrogen removal. Neither the living shoreline nor unaltered sites demonstrated significant sediment deposition at the marsh edge or on the marsh platform between 2017 and 2018. While we expected nitrogen removal via denitrification to improve at the living shoreline sites over time as abiotic and biotic conditions became more favorable, we found limited support for this hypothesis. We found higher rates of denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) at the living shoreline sites when compared to unaltered sites, but these rates did not increase over time. This study also provides a qualitative assessment of our living shoreline structural integrity through the years, particularly following storm events that greatly challenged our restoration efforts. We demonstrate that living shorelines fortified solely with natural materials may not be the most effective approach to maintain these ecosystem services for Northeastern USA salt marshes exposed to intense northeasterly storms. We suggest the restoration of salt marshes to improve major functions be a priority among managers and restoration practitioners. Initiatives promoting the use of nature-based restoration techniques where environmental conditions permit should be encouraged.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Exploring the use of living shorelines for stabilization and nutrient mitigation in New England