Hydrology, vegetation, and soils of riverine and tidal floodplain forests of the lower Suwannee River, Florida, and potential impacts of flow reductions

Light, Helen M.; Darst, Melanie R.; Lewis, Lori J.; Howell, David

doi:10.3133/pp1656a

Cited by 36 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…7). Freshening from consistent riverine flow may mitigate the effects of increased salinities and tidal flooding from a slowly rising sea (Ensign et al 2014;Light et al 2002). Variations in response at the forest-to-marsh boundary may also be related to minor changes in topographic gradient, where inland migration during SLR may be delayed at slightly elevated sites (Brinson et al 1995;Castaneda and Putz 2007;Smith 2013).…”

Section: Coastal Lowland Forestmentioning

confidence: 96%

Expansion of Tidal Marsh in Response to Sea-Level Rise: Gulf Coast of Florida, USA

Raabe

Stumpf

2015

Estuaries and Coasts

102

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Understanding the influence of future sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal ecosystems is improved by examining response of coastlines during historic periods of SLR. We evaluated stability and movement of the estuarine intertidal zone along eastern Gulf of Mexico, known as the BBig Bend^of Florida. This relatively undeveloped, low-energy coast is dominated by broad expanses of tidal marsh, providing an opportunity to observe unobstructed response of a coastal ecosystem to SLR. Features from nineteenth century topographic surveys and late twentieth century satellite imagery were compared. Relative change was calculated for intertidal area and lateral migration over 120 years, a period when tidal amplitude increased in addition to SLR. Loss of tidal marsh at the shoreline was −43 km 2 , representing a 9 % loss to open water. At the same time, 82 km 2 of forest converted to marsh and 66 km 2 of forest converted to forest-to-marsh transitional habitat. The result was a net regional gain of 105 km 2 of intertidal area, an increase of 23 %, constituting a marine transgression of coastal lowlands. Forest retreat was lower at zones of high freshwater input, attributable to salinity moderation and was further complicated by coastal morphology and land-use practices. Shoreline migration may not represent full extent of habitat change resulting from SLR in regions with low coastal gradients. Forest retreat was consistent with what would be predicted by an inundation model; however, shoreline loss was considerably less, resulting in a net increase in intertidal area in this sediment-limited coast.

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Section: Coastal Lowland Forestmentioning

confidence: 96%

Expansion of Tidal Marsh in Response to Sea-Level Rise: Gulf Coast of Florida, USA

Raabe

Stumpf

2015

Estuaries and Coasts

102

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“…In terms of discharge, the Suwannee River is the second largest in Florida with a 77-year mean value close to 300 m 3 /s (Light et al 2002;Bales et al 2006). For reference, the Mississippi River has an average discharge that is 40 times greater than the Suwannee.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 97%

“…1a) and is one of the longest rivers in that state. The river extends 394 km from the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia to the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico and features a drainage basin of ∼25,800 km 2 (Light et al 2002). For reference, the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin is ∼164,000 km 2 or >6 times larger.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of record flooding of a subtropical river on estuary/ocean exchange

Valle‐Levinson

2011

Ocean Dynamics

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Measurements of current velocity profiles during and after cresting of the Suwannee River in Northern Florida, USA, were used to investigate the effects of increased river discharge on subtidal flows near the estuarine transition with the Gulf of Mexico. Three moored velocity profilers were deployed across a lower estuary cross-section. The cross-section bathymetry consisted of a channel (∼5.5 m deep) near the western bank of the estuary that shoaled monotonically eastward. Two-layer gravitational exchange developed only in the deepest part of the cross-section during the river cresting and persisted for ∼20 days. After this ∼20-day period, the net flow decreased and was seaward throughout the water column. Net flows outside the channel were seaward throughout the observation period and were modulated by the river pulse. By comparing the estuarine response in the 5.5-m channel to theoretical responses driven by a dynamic balance between pressure gradient and stress divergence, a condition required for two-layered flow was proposed. Gravitational exchange flow should be expected when the ratio of density-driven flow to river-induced flow is greater than 0.23 to 0.28. Smaller values of this ratio should produce unidirectional, seaward flows after a river pulse. Twolayered flows restricted to the channel can be explained also with this ratio because of the sensitivity of density-driven flows to local depth and eddy viscosity. These findings need to be tested against observations in other systems affected by extreme freshwater pulses.

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“…If modern extreme droughts represent average or above-average hydrologic conditions during the Paleoindian period, then it is likely that no lower-order streams flowed during that time except intermittently in response to large rainfall events, and the FAS would not reliably discharge to the surface through most spring vents. Lower river flows would result in the loss of riverine forested floodplains, which would dramatically reduce aquatic habitats and the detritus that are critical to several fish and invertebrates (Light, Darst, & Lewis, 2002).…”

Section: Sea and Lake Levelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Freshwater availability as the constraining factor in the Middle Paleoindian occupation of North‐Central Florida

Thulman

2009

Geoarchaeology

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The locations of reliable surface water exposures during the Middle Paleoindian period (10,200 14 C yr B.P.) in north-central Florida are reconstructed and compared to the concentrations of Middle Paleoindian projectile points. Estimates of water table levels and surface water flow in Florida's karst geology confirm prior climate reconstructions for that time indicating the area was arid and supported a xeric ecology in most upland locales. Surface water flow data from recent extreme droughts and water table estimations are used to identify the areas of highest probability for surface water availability. The distribution of the highest concentrations of Middle Paleoindian points correlates with the areas of highest probability, indicating that scarce surface water sources were the strongest constraint on occupation location during that time.

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Hydrology, vegetation, and soils of riverine and tidal floodplain forests of the lower Suwannee River, Florida, and potential impacts of flow reductions

Cited by 36 publications

References 41 publications

Expansion of Tidal Marsh in Response to Sea-Level Rise: Gulf Coast of Florida, USA

Expansion of Tidal Marsh in Response to Sea-Level Rise: Gulf Coast of Florida, USA

Impact of record flooding of a subtropical river on estuary/ocean exchange

Freshwater availability as the constraining factor in the Middle Paleoindian occupation of North‐Central Florida

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