Ice raft formation, sediment load, and theoretical potential for ice-rafted sediment influx on northern coastal wetlands

Argow, Brittina A.; Hughes, Zoë; FitzGerald, Duncan M.

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2011.05.004

Cited by 32 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…We quantified spatial and temporal patterns of suspended sediment transport over two growing seasons (May-November 2016 and June-September 2017) using an array of optical-backscatter turbidity sensors equipped with automatic antifouling wipers. We were not able to collect measurements or draw conclusions during the winter months when sediment transport is influenced by ice rafting, rather than simple advection of SSC (Argow et al, 2011). We deployed the sensors across the marsh platform and adjacent tidal channel in a shore-normal transect.…”

Section: Study Area and Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The slumping of the bank creates accommodation space, which would allow for increased sediment deposition without the formation of a levee (Mariotti et al, 2016(Mariotti et al, , 2019. Other possible explanations for the lack of a levee could be historical changes in sediment supply associated with land clearance and dam construction (Kirwan et al, 2011) or delivery of sediment by ice rafting (Argow et al, 2011;FitzGerald et al, 2020) or major storm events that were not captured during our measurement period.…”

Section: 1029/2020jf005558mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sediment Delivery to a Tidal Marsh Platform Is Minimized by Source Decoupling and Flux Convergence

Coleman

Ganju²,

Kirwan

2020

JGR Earth Surface

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Sediment supply is a primary factor in determining marsh response to sea level rise and is typically approximated through high‐resolution measurements of suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) from adjacent tidal channels. However, understanding sediment transport across the marsh itself remains limited by discontinuous measurements of SSC over individual tidal cycles. Here, we use an array of optical turbidity sensors to build a long‐term, continuous record of SSC across a marsh platform and adjacent tidal channel. We find that channel and marsh concentrations are correlated (i.e., coupled) within tidal cycles but are largely decoupled over longer time scales. We also find that net sediment fluxes decline to near zero within 10 m of the marsh edge. Together, these results suggest that large sections of the marsh platform receive minimal sediment independent of flooding frequency or channel sediment supply. Marsh‐centric, as opposed to channel‐centric, measures of sediment supply may better characterize marsh platform vulnerability.

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Section: Study Area and Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 1029/2020jf005558mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment Delivery to a Tidal Marsh Platform Is Minimized by Source Decoupling and Flux Convergence

Coleman

Ganju²,

Kirwan

2020

JGR Earth Surface

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“…During periods of low water, ice formed in shallow bays and channels and along creek banks, anchoring to the substrate. Through repetitive processes of lifting and then refreezing each tidal cycle, sediment was incorporated within the ice (Argow et al, 2011). Ice rafts viewed in the field showed numerous sediment layers assimilated into the ice.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced, Climate‐Driven Sedimentation on Salt Marshes

FitzGerald

Hughes

Georgiou

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

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With Arctic amplification (enhanced polar warming) possibly increasing periods of intense winter freezing and global warming producing more powerful extratropical storms, winter sedimentation on northern salt marshes may likely increase in the future. Here, we show that a large ice-rafting event in northern Massachusetts delivered the equivalent of 15 years of mineral deposition to the marsh surface in a single storm. During an intense extratropical cyclone in January 2018, sediment-laden ice was rafted onto the Great Marsh, Massachusetts, by an~1-m storm surge coinciding with high astronomical tides. The muddy sand content combined with abundant shells indicates that the sediment originated from proximal bays and tidal flats. Sediment layers delivered by individual ice rafts averaged 3.19 cm in thickness, 12 times the combined organic and inorganic yearly vertical accretion rate on high marshes. This previously underappreciated vector for sediment deposition is likely to help marsh resiliency to sea-level rise.Plain Language Summary We found that a single storm in 2018 moved ice onto a New England salt marsh from nearby bays and creeks, carrying the equivalent of 15 years of average mineral sediment deposition across the entire marsh. Salt marshes maintain elevation with rising sea level, in part, by trapping mud and sand. The storm deposit that we observed was a consequence of prolonged ice formation followed by a strong nor'easter coinciding with a very high tide. During the period of extended low temperatures, ice formed in shallow water, and mud and sand froze to its base at low tide. The cold spell combined with very low tides meant that the ice was especially thick and laden with sediment when the storm moved it on to the marsh. Recent studies suggest that climate change may increase the likelihood of extreme cold spells in winter in the northern hemisphere and nor'easters may strengthen. If these conditions persist, the amount of sediment added during winter to salt marshes in northern high latitudes (which is almost half of global marshes) may increase, helping salt marshes to be more resilient to sea-level rise.

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“…To our knowledge, this is the first rigorously documented report of ice rafting as a mechanism of organism dispersal in a temperate area, and we suggest that it may also act in other similar environments. Soft-sediment intertidal or shallow subtidal areas are most likely influenced by this process, given the ease with which sediment can be incorporated in ice (Knight and Dalrymple 1976, Schneider and Mann 1991, Dionne 1993, Pejrup and Andersen 2000, Argow et al 2011). However, we believe that rocky coasts could also be affected by ice rafting, especially for fouling organisms that can regrow a full individual from fragments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intertidal flats are also influenced by ice processes; the sediment can be covered by a layer of surface ice up to 40 cm thick, and blocks of drift ice can accumulate in some areas (Gordon and Desplanques 1983). Drift ice carries substantial amounts of sediment and is a vector for redistribution of inorganic material (Knight and Dalrymple 1976, Dionne 1993, Pejrup and Andersen 2000, Argow et al 2011. The idea that organisms can be transported by sea ice is not new (Nansen 1906), and communities of organisms living in and under ice have been studied in polar regions (e.g., Tuschling et al 2000, Arndt andSwadling 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal of marine benthic invertebrates through ice rafting

Macfarlane

Drolet

Barbeau

et al. 2013

Ecology

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Knowledge of dispersal vectors used by organisms is essential to the understanding of population and community dynamics. We report on ice rafting, a vector by which intertidal benthic invertebrates can be transported well outside their normal dispersal range during winter in temperate climates. We found multiple invertebrate taxa in sediment-laden ice blocks sampled in the intertidal zone. A large proportion of individuals were alive and active when freed from the ice. Using radio tracking, we found that ice blocks can travel over 20 km within a few days. Given the abundance of highly mobile ice blocks carrying viable invertebrates, we conclude that ice-rafting is likely an important dispersal vector, contributing to spatial community dynamics in intertidal systems. This mechanism helps explain observed genetic structure of populations, but it also raises concerns about potential negative impacts of climate change on connectivity between populations.

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Ice raft formation, sediment load, and theoretical potential for ice-rafted sediment influx on northern coastal wetlands

Cited by 32 publications

References 28 publications

Sediment Delivery to a Tidal Marsh Platform Is Minimized by Source Decoupling and Flux Convergence

Sediment Delivery to a Tidal Marsh Platform Is Minimized by Source Decoupling and Flux Convergence

Enhanced, Climate‐Driven Sedimentation on Salt Marshes

Dispersal of marine benthic invertebrates through ice rafting

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