Pools in tidal marshes are sometimes misinterpreted as a symptom of degradation but fascinating research in New England demonstrates that pools in unditched marshes instead represent a fundamental cyclical geomorphic process of pool formation, expansion, tidal breaching and vegetation recovery.
This process is also evident in the salt marshes of southern New Jersey.
Given the importance of each pool successional stage as wildlife habitat, pool dynamics are a key driver of habitat diversity. Pool dynamics may be altered by accelerated sea level rise, with consequences for both wildlife and marsh
resilience.
In this study we are testing the prediction that pools in unditched Atlantic Coast marshes in Southern New Jersey are in dynamic equilibrium by (1) comparing the relative coverage of different pool stages and vegetated marsh over time (2) by tracking individual pool dynamics over time to determine whether the rate of pool tidal breaching has remained stable over time.
We are also examining patterns of change in tidal marshes that have been the subject of intensive ditching and “Open Marsh Water Management” (OWMWM) to understand how the trajectory of change in hydrologically altered marshes compares with marshes that never experienced these impacts.
The results of this project will provide critically needed information regarding the relative roles of hydrological alteration, sea level rise and tidal regimes in contributing to tidal marsh stability and change.
This improved understanding will, by disentangling symptoms and underlying causes of marsh degradation, aid in the selection of restoration sites and the restoration strategies that are used.