TITLE:
Sentinel Site Development of a Major Salt Marsh System in the Mid-Atlantic Region (USA)
AUTHORS:
Michael J. Michael J. Kennish, Andrea Spahn, Gregg P. Sakowicz
KEYWORDS:
Tuckerton Peninsula Salt Marsh System; Vulnerability; Climate Change Effects; Monitoring; Assessment; Coastal Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.4 No.3,
March
10,
2014
ABSTRACT:
The Tuckerton Peninsula, a large expanse (~2000 ha) of highly inundated Spartina alterniflora salt marsh
habitat, forms one of the most extensive coastal wetland systems in New Jersey
(USA). It is projected to be among the first salt marsh systems in New Jersey
to be lost by rising sea level driven by climate change. The changes that occur
in the demographic, ecologic, and ecogeomorphic characteristics of the salt
marsh habitat at this location will be vital to understanding future habitat
change in coastal wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic region. As a consequence, the
Tuckerton Peninsula salt marsh system is designated as a sentinel site of the
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR) for the
detection, monitoring, and assessment of climate change effects, most notably sea-level
rise and inundation. Development of the Tuckerton Peninsula as a sentinel site
requires a high accuracy local geodetic control network to connect existing
water quality monitoring stations, vegetation transects and monitoring surface
elevation tables, ground water wells, and digital elevation models on the same
vertical datum. The integration of these monitoring infrastructure components
is crucial to effective operation of the sentinel site. It will enable the
collection of essential data to assess rates of marsh migration and upland
transgression, as well as delineate key natural and anthropogenic drivers
influencing habitat condition and change. The JCNERR sentinel site designation
supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s long-term goal
of assessing coastal vulnerability in the USA to climate change and generating
data useful for forging climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives for
coastal communities. Habitat and vertical control data collected at this
sentinel site will be made available to decision makers across the nation and will
enable them to determine how the loss of critical salt marsh habitat will
affect coastal communities, their adaptation to future habitat loss, and their
development of mitigation plans to address impacts and enhance resiliency.