Forested Wetland Communities as Indicators of Tidal Influence along the Apalachicola River, Florida, USA

Anderson, Christopher J.; Lockaby, B. Graeme

doi:10.1007/s13157-011-0204-5

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Soil organic matter ranged from 9% to 77% with no clear pattern between alluvial and blackwater rivers. Detailed studies by Coultas (1984) and Anderson & Lockaby (2011) of tidal forest soils of the Apalachicola River, an alluvial river that drains mostly in the Piedmont region, revealed pH (5.4-6.0) and concentrations of organic C (7.5-18%) and N (0.45-0.89%) that were comparable to values measured in Altamaha and Ogeechee River soils (Table 1), and higher than those in the Satilla and S. Newport Rivers. Some tidal forest soils contained mostly sand and others such as the Apalachicola River (FL) soils contained mostly clay (Coultas, 1984).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These findings contrast with Wharton et al (1982), who found that, in non-tidal floodplain forest soils upriver, blackwater soils contained more sand than alluvial soils, similar to what I observed in tidal forest soils of the blackwater Satilla River vs. the alluvial Altamaha River. Detailed studies by Coultas (1984) and Anderson & Lockaby (2011) of tidal forest soils of the Apalachicola River, an alluvial river that drains mostly in the Piedmont region, revealed pH (5.4-6.0) and concentrations of organic C (7.5-18%) and N (0.45-0.89%) that were comparable to values measured in Altamaha and Ogeechee River soils (Table 1), and higher than those in the Satilla and S. Newport Rivers. Soil properties of our tidal forests soils generally fall within the wide ranges for organic matter, pH, and N compiled for alluvial and blackwater tidal forest soils of the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts (Anderson & Lockaby, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tidal forests occupy 200,000 ha of coastal land of the southeastern United States (Doyle et al, 2007), mostly at the head of river-dominated estuaries . They are sentinels of rising sea level, especially saltwater intrusion during drought and low flow conditions that stress forested vegetation (Day et al, 2007;Anderson & Lockaby, 2011), increase tree mortality and sometimes convert forest to oligohaline or brackish marsh (DeLaune et al, 1987;Hackney et al, 1990;Krauss et al, 2007). They are relatively uncommon and understudied primarily because most were drained or filled in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere since the tidal fresh zone typically represented the furthest point upriver that ships could transit and, therefore, cities were built there (Barendregt et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tidal freshwater forest accretion does not keep pace with sea level rise

Craft

2012

Global Change Biology

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Soil properties, accretion, and accumulation were measured in tidal freshwater forests (tidal forests) of the Ogeechee, Altamaha, and Satilla rivers of the South Atlantic (Georgia USA) coast to characterize carbon (C) sequestration and nutrient (nitrogen‐N, phosphorus‐P) accumulation in these understudied, uncommon, and ecologically sensitive wetlands. Carbon sequestration and N and P accumulation also were measured in a tidal forest (South Newport River) that experiences saltwater intrusion to evaluate the effects of sea level rise (SLR) and saltwater intrusion on C, N and P accumulation. Finally, soil accretion and accumulation of tidal forests were compared with tidal fresh, brackish and salt marsh vegetation downstream to gauge how tidal forests may respond to SLR. Soil accretion determined using 137C and 210Pb averaged 1.3 and 2.2 mm yr−1, respectively, and was substantially lower than the recent rate of SLR along the Georgia coast (3.0 mm yr−1). Healthy tidal forest soils sequestered C (49–82 g m−2 yr−1), accumulated N (3.2–5.3 g m−2 yr−1) and P (0.29–0.56 g m−2 yr−1) and trapped mineral sediment (340–650 g m−2 yr−1). There was no difference in long‐term accretion, C sequestration, and nutrient accumulation between healthy tidal forests and tidal forests of the South Newport River that experience saltwater intrusion. Accelerated SLR is likely to lead to decline of tidal forests and expansion of oligohaline and brackish marshes where soil accretion exceeds the current rate of SLR. Conversion of tidal forest to marshes will lead to an increase in the delivery of some ecosystem services such as C sequestration and sediment trapping, but at the expense of other services (e.g. denitrification, migratory songbird habitat). As sea level rises in response to global warming, tidal forests and their delivery of ecosystem services face a tenuous future unless they can migrate upriver, and that is unlikely in most areas because of topographic constraints and increasing urbanization of the coastal zone.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tidal freshwater forest accretion does not keep pace with sea level rise

Craft

2012

Global Change Biology

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“…An estimate of the spatial extent of tidal freshwater ecosystems is a first step toward framing the tidal extension concept as a problem to be addressed by the scientific community. However, the upriver limit of tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFW) is extremely difficult to map and assess because hydrologic and vegetation gradients are clear but subtle (Anderson and Lockaby ). In addition, no estimates have been made of the overall length of tidal freshwater river channels.…”

Section: Which Rivers Will Experience Tidal Extension?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…() measured greater primary productivity of giant cutgrass ( Zizaniopsis miliacea ) in tidal freshwater marsh as compared to impounded (unrestored and formerly tidal) non‐tidal marsh. Community composition of canopy species differs between non‐tidal floodplain forest and TFFW (Anderson and Lockaby ). Smaller trees, more shrubs, more herbaceous cover, and less wood production and litterfall are found in tidal than non‐tidal freshwater floodplain forests (Brinson et al .…”

Section: How Will Tidal Extension Alter Ecosystem Functions?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tidal extension and sea‐level rise: recommendations for a research agenda

Ensign

Noe

2018

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

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Sea‐level rise is pushing freshwater tides upstream into formerly non‐tidal rivers. This tidal extension may increase the area of tidal freshwater ecosystems and offset loss of ecosystem functions due to salinization downstream. Without considering how gains in ecosystem functions could offset losses, landscape‐scale assessments of ecosystem functions may be biased toward worst‐case scenarios of loss. To stimulate research on this concept, we address three fundamental questions about tidal extension: Where will tidal extension be most evident, and can we measure it? What ecosystem functions are influenced by tidal extension, and how can we measure them? How do watershed processes, climate change, and tidal extension interact to affect ecosystem functions? Our preliminary answers lead to recommendations that will advance tidal extension research, enable better predictions of the impacts of sea‐level rise, and help balance the landscape‐scale benefits of ecosystem function with costs of response.

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