Folders: ROOT > ScienceBase Catalog > National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers > Northwest CASC > FY 2012 Projects > Marshes to Mudflats: Climate Change Effects Along Coastal Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest ( Show direct descendants )
21 results (9ms)
Location
Folder
ROOT _ScienceBase Catalog __National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers ___Northwest CASC ____FY 2012 Projects _____Marshes to Mudflats: Climate Change Effects Along Coastal Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest Filters
Date Range
Extensions Types
Contacts
Categories Tag Types
|
Some of California’s most cherished coastal wetlands, where endangered birds chatter and green growth thrives, could turn to mudflats by the middle of the century. By the end of the century, they could be gone. New research based on years of observation says rising sea levels might well outpace the ability of coastal wetlands to adapt, inundating them before they have time to colonize higher elevations. Continue Reading >>
To determine inundation patterns and calculate site-specific tidal datums, we deployed water level data loggers (Model 3001, Solinst Canada Ltd., Georgetown, Ontario, Canada and Model U-20-001-01-Ti, Onset Computer Corp., Bourne, MA, USA) at all sites over the study period. Each site had one or two loggers (n = 16). We placed loggers at the mouth and upper reaches of second-order tidal channels to capture high tides and determine seasonal inundation patterns. Water loggers collected water level readings every six minutes starting on the date of deployment and continuing to the present. We used data from the lowest elevation logger at each site to develop local hydrographs and inundation rates. We surveyed loggers...
The research was conducted at eight tidal marshes in coastal estuaries spanning the Washington and Oregon coastlines from Padilla Bay in northern Washington to Bandon located at the mouth of the Coquille River in southern Oregon. The researchers performed bathymetric surveys, created digital elevation models, measured historic rates of mineral and organic matter accumulation, conducted vegetation surveys, deployed water level data loggers, and produced WARMER wetland accretion model projections for each study site. This collection contains data for all of the above across a number of different datasets. Users should investigate the metadata for each item for more information about it's purpose, methods, quality,...
The research was conducted at nine tidal marshes in coastal estuaries spanning the Washington and Oregon coastlines from Padilla Bay in northern Washington to Bandon located at the mouth of the Coquille River in southern Oregon. We performed bathymetric surveys using a shallow-water echo-sounding system comprised of an acoustic profiler, Leica Viva RTK GPS, and laptop computer mounted on a shallow-draft, portable flat-bottom boat. The RTK GPS enabled high resolution elevations of the water surface. The rover positions were received from the Leica Smartnet system (www.lecia-geosystems.com) or base station and referenced to the same bench mark used in the elevation surveys. We mounted a variable frequency transducer...
Categories: Data;
Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service,
ArcGIS Service Definition,
Downloadable,
Map Service;
Tags: Bandon,
Bandon marsh,
Bull Island,
Coos Bay,
Grays Harbor,
We used a first-of-its-kind comprehensive scenario approach to evaluate both the vertical and horizontal response of tidal wetlands to projected changes in the rate of sea-level rise (SLR) across 14 estuaries along the Pacific coast of the continental United States. Throughout the U.S. Pacific region, we found that tidal wetlands are highly vulnerable to end-of-century submergence, with resulting extensive loss of habitat. Using higher-range SLR scenarios, all high and middle marsh habitats were lost, with 83% of current tidal wetlands transitioning to unvegetated habitats by 2110. The wetland area lost was greater in California and Oregon (100%) but still severe in Washington, with 68% submerged by the end of the...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Northwest CASC,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Water, Coasts and Ice,
Wetlands
In the Pacific Northwest, coastal wetlands support a wealth of ecosystem services including habitat provision for wildlife and fisheries and flood protection. The tidal marshes, mudflats, and shallow bays of coastal estuaries link marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats and provide economic and recreational benefits to local communities. Climate change effects such as sea-level rise are currently altering these habitats, but we know little about how these areas will change over the next 50-100 years. Our study examined the effects of sea-level rise on nine tidal marshes in Washington and Oregon, with the goal of providing scientific data to support future coastal planning and conservation. We compiled physical...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Northwest CASC,
Sea-Level Rise,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Water, Coasts and Ice,
Wetlands,
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Northwest CASC,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Water, Coasts and Ice,
Wetlands
To assess the current topography of tidal marsh at the study sites we conducted survey-grade global positioning system (GPS) surveys between 2009 and 2014 using a Leica RX1200 Real Time Kinematic (RTK) rover (±1 cm horizontal, ±2 cm vertical accuracy; Leica Geosystems Inc., Norcross, GA; Figure 4). At sites with RTK GPS network coverage (Padilla, Port Susan, Nisqually, Siletz, Bull Island, and Bandon), rover positions were received in real time from the Leica Smartnet system via a CDMA modem (www.lecia-geosystems.com). At sites without network coverage (Skokomish, Grays Harbor, and Willapa), rover positions were received in real time from a Leica GS10 antenna base station via radio link. At sites where we used the...
Categories: Data;
Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service,
ArcGIS Service Definition,
Downloadable,
Map Service;
Tags: Bandon,
Bull Island,
Coos Bay,
Grays Harbor,
NWCASC,
Abstract (from AGU 100): Periodic oscillations between El Niño and La Niña conditions in the Pacific Basin affect oceanographic and meteorological phenomena globally, with impacts on the abundance and distribution of marine species. However, El Niño effects on estuarine hydrology and tidal wetland processes have seldom been examined rigorously. We used detailed wetland elevation and local inundation data from 10 tidal wetlands located along the Pacific coast of the United States to assess changes in flooding during the 2015–2016 El Niño and to determine decadal‐scale relationships between estuarine sea‐level anomalies and Pacific Basin climate indices for this region. During the 2015–2016 El Niño all sites experienced...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Northwest CASC,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Water, Coasts and Ice,
Wetlands
Tidal wetlands support plant communities that facilitate carbon storage, accrete soil, and provide habitat for terrestrial and aquatic species. Climate change is likely to alter estuaries through sea-level rise and changing precipitation patterns, although the ecological responses are uncertain. We were interested in plant responses to physiological stress induced by elevated water salinity and flooding conditions, which may be more prevalent under climate change. . We used a greenhouse experiment and factorial flooding (1, 12, 24, and 48 % time) and salinity (0, 5, 15, 30 PSU) treatments to evaluate the productivity responses of three emergent herbaceous species (Carex lyngbyei, Triglochin maritima, and Argentina...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation
Decomposition of plant matter is one of the key processes affecting carbon cycling and storage in tidal wetlands. In this study, we evaluated the effects of factors related to climate change (temperature, inundation) and vegetation composition on rates of litter decay in seven tidal marsh sites along the Pacific coast. In 2014 we conducted manipulative experiments to test inundation effects on litter decay at Siletz Bay, OR and Petaluma marsh, CA. In 2015 we studied decay of litter in high and low elevation marshes at seven Pacific coast sites. These data support the following publication: Janousek, C.N., Buffington, K.J., Guntenspergen, G.R., Thorne, K.M., Dugger, B.D. and Takekawa, J.Y., 2017. Inundation, vegetation,...
Categories: Data;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Deschampsia cespitosa,
Distichlis spicata,
Pacific coast,
Salicornia pacifica,
USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC),
We used WARMER, a 1-D cohort model of wetland accretion (Swanson et al. 2014), which is based on Callaway et al. (1996), to examine SLR projections across each study site. Each cohort in the model represents the total organic and inorganic matter added to the soil column each year. WARMER calculates elevation changes relative to MSL based on projected changes in relative sea level, subsidence, inorganic sediment accumulation, aboveground and belowground organic matter productivity, compaction, and decay for a representative marsh area. Each cohort provides the mass of inorganic and organic matter accumulated at the surface in a single year as well as any subsequent belowground organic matter productivity (root growth)...
Categories: Data;
Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service,
ArcGIS Service Definition,
Downloadable,
Map Service;
Tags: Bandon,
Coos Bay,
Grays Harbor,
NWCASC,
Nisqually,
Abstract (from SpringerLink): The distribution patterns of sessile organisms in coastal intertidal habitats typically exhibit vertical zonation, but little is known about variability in zonation among sites or species at larger spatial scales. Data on such heterogeneity could inform mechanistic understanding of factors affecting species distributions as well as efforts to assess and manage coastal species and habitat vulnerability to sea-level rise. Using data on the vertical distribution of common plant species at 12 tidal marshes across the US Pacific coast, we examined heterogeneity in patterns of zonation to test whether distributions varied by site, species, or latitude. Interspecific zonation was evident at...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Northwest CASC,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Water, Coasts and Ice,
Wetlands
To assess the current topography of tidal marsh at the study sites we conducted survey-grade global positioning system (GPS) surveys between 2009 and 2014 using a Leica RX1200 Real Time Kinematic (RTK) rover (±1 cm horizontal, ±2 cm vertical accuracy; Leica Geosystems Inc., Norcross, GA; Figure 4). At sites with RTK GPS network coverage (Padilla, Port Susan, Nisqually, Siletz, Bull Island, and Bandon), rover positions were received in real time from the Leica Smartnet system via a CDMA modem (www.lecia-geosystems.com). At sites without network coverage (Skokomish, Grays Harbor, and Willapa), rover positions were received in real time from a Leica GS10 antenna base station via radio link. At sites where we used the...
Categories: Data;
Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service,
ArcGIS Service Definition,
Downloadable,
Map Service,
Shapefile;
Tags: Bandon,
Bull Island,
Coos Bay,
Grays Harbor,
Nisqually,
This USGS News Release was put out on August 14, 2015. CORVALLIS, Oregon - The U.S. Geological Survey and Oregon State University released a report this week examining Pacific Northwest tidal wetland vulnerability to sea level rise. Scientists found that, while vulnerability varies from marsh to marsh, most wetlands would likely be resilient to rising sea levels over the next 50-70 years. Beyond that time, however, most wetlands might convert to intertidal mudflats as sea level rise outpaces the capacity of tidal marshes to adapt.
We conducted vegetation surveys concurrently with elevation surveys at every fourth elevation point (~25% of the elevation points) (Figure 5). We visually assessed percent cover of all plant species within a 0.25 m2 quadrat, and recorded the average and maximum height (measured to the nearest centimeter) of each species. Total plant cover in a plot could exceed 100% due to vegetation layering. Vascular plant nomenclature generally follows Baldwin et al. (2012) and Cook et al. (2013). We located 69 tidal wetland species in 2,154 vegetation plots across the nine estuaries in the study. Common species included Carex lyngbyei, Sarcocornia perennis, Distichlis spicata, Deschampsia cespitosa, Juncus balticus and Potentilla...
To parameterize accretion for SLR models, we measured historic rates of mineral and organic matter accumulation at each site by collecting deep soil cores with a Russian peat borer. At each site, we obtained cores in each of three vegetation zones: low, medium, and high marsh. Two replicate cores were sampled from each station for a total of 6 cores per site (except Coos Bay where 7 cores were taken). Coring locations were determined by RTK GPS elevation and tidal inundation data. Transects for core sampling were determined in ArcGIS, using a digitial elevation model and site-specific tidal datums to choose station locations below MHW (low), between MHW and MHHW (mid), and above MHHW (high). Sediment cores were...
|
|
