Estuarine vegetated wetland change scenarios for estuaries in the conterminous United States, 1996–2019

Publication Date

2023-11-17

Start Date

1996

End Date

2016

Han, M., Enwright, N.M., Osland, M.J., Thorne, K.M., Guntenspergen, G.R., Grace, J.B., Steyer, G.D., Herold, N., and Chivoiu, B., 2023, Estuarine vegetated wetland change scenarios for estuaries in the conterminous United States, 1996–2019: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9U43QEO.

Type: Related Primary Publication

Coastal wetlands provide numerous ecosystem goods and services, including supporting important fish and wildlife habitat, improving water quality, storing carbon, protecting coastlines and coastal communities, and providing recreational opportunities. Over the coming century, climate change and sea-level rise will cause widespread change to coastal wetlands, potentially leading to wetland collapse. Estuarine vegetated wetlands can adapt to sea-level rise through both vertical development (i.e., biophysical feedbacks and sedimentation) and upslope/horizontal migration. Natural resource managers will be interested in quantifying changes to estuarine vegetated wetlands over time to help inform current and future decisions regarding land management and resource stewardship. The goal of this proposed framework was to provide a simple set of metrics that can be used to understand the trajectory of estuarine vegetated wetlands over time. Repeated observations of these change metrics over time will provide important insights into critical thresholds for coastal wetland adaptive capacity. For example, this information can highlight where change could be resisted (e.g., restoration actions to avoid wetland loss, sediment addition), accepted (i.e., accepting upslope migration or localized wetland loss), or how and where change could be directed (e.g. tidal restoration of impounded wetlands or enhancing migration corridor connectivity).

• USGS Data Release Products
• USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center