Evidence for relative sea-level rise in the Mullica River-Great Bay, a relatively undisturbed watershed in southern New Jersey, stretches over hundreds of years. The increase in global sea-level rise in the region is enhanced by subsidence and results in rates that are approximately double the global average. In recent decades, the occurrence of “ghost forests,” standing dead forests, especially of the salt-intolerant Atlantic White Cedar, is becoming increasingly obvious as tidal inundation of salty waters increases further inland, especially in the upper portions of the Mullica River and its tributaries. Even older evidence of sea-level rise in the watershed is the subtidal and intertidal occurrence of “cedar cemeteries,” i.e., buried accumulations of Atlantic white cedar stumps and timbers that have been radiocarbon-dated from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries to as old as the fifth century. Some of these are being exposed as rising water extends intertidal creeks into adjacent wetlands and uncovers this rot-resistant wood. Sea-level rise is perhaps the most significant threat to the persistence of salt marshes over the coming century. Sea-level rise decreases salt marsh area by erosion at the marsh edge, drowning of the marsh surface, and the expansion of marsh pools into larger marsh “lakes.” In some instances, this loss of salt marshes is compensated for by expansion landward into ghost forests, but in this watershed and others, the expansion is by invasive plant species such as Phragmites australis, which is suboptimal habitat for fishes, crabs, and other invertebrates. The combination of a fast rate of sea-level rise in an area relatively free from recent human intervention makes the Mullica Valley watershed an ideal location to continue to evaluate the effects of sea-level rise on salt marsh ecosystems.

穆利卡河-大湾是新泽西州南部一个相对未受干扰的分水岭，海平面相对上升的证据绵延数百年。该地区全球海平面上升的速度因下陷而加剧，其速度大约是全球平均水平的两倍。近几十年来，随着咸水的潮汐淹没内陆进一步增加，特别是在穆利卡河上游和其支流。流域海平面上升的更古老的证据是“雪松墓地”的潮下带和潮间带发生，即，大西洋白雪松树桩和木材的埋藏堆积物，其放射性碳测定年代从 15 世纪到 16 世纪，直至 5 世纪。随着上升的水位将潮间带小溪延伸到邻近的湿地并揭开这种耐腐木材，其中一些正在暴露。海平面上升可能是未来一个世纪盐沼持续存在的最大威胁。海平面上升通过沼泽边缘的侵蚀、沼泽表面的淹没以及沼泽池扩展成更大的沼泽“湖泊”来减少盐沼面积。在某些情况下，盐沼的这种损失可以通过向陆地扩展到鬼森林来补偿，但在这个流域和其他流域，扩展是通过入侵植物物种，例如 随着上升的水流将潮间带小溪延伸到邻近的湿地并揭开这种耐腐木材，其中一些正在暴露。海平面上升可能是未来一个世纪盐沼持续存在的最大威胁。海平面上升通过沼泽边缘的侵蚀、沼泽表面的淹没以及沼泽池扩展成更大的沼泽“湖泊”来减少盐沼面积。在某些情况下，盐沼的这种损失可以通过向陆地扩展到鬼森林来补偿，但在这个流域和其他流域，扩展是通过入侵植物物种，例如 随着上升的水位将潮间带小溪延伸到邻近的湿地并揭开这种耐腐木材，其中一些正在暴露。海平面上升可能是未来一个世纪盐沼持续存在的最大威胁。海平面上升通过沼泽边缘的侵蚀、沼泽表面的淹没以及沼泽池扩展成更大的沼泽“湖泊”来减少盐沼面积。在某些情况下，盐沼的这种损失可以通过向陆地扩展到鬼森林来补偿，但在这个流域和其他流域，扩展是通过入侵植物物种，例如 海平面上升通过沼泽边缘的侵蚀、沼泽表面的淹没以及沼泽池扩展成更大的沼泽“湖泊”来减少盐沼面积。在某些情况下，盐沼的这种损失可以通过向陆地扩展到鬼森林来补偿，但在这个流域和其他流域，扩展是通过入侵植物物种，例如 海平面上升通过沼泽边缘的侵蚀、沼泽表面的淹没以及沼泽池扩展成更大的沼泽“湖泊”来减少盐沼面积。在某些情况下，盐沼的这种损失可以通过向陆地扩展到鬼森林来补偿，但在这个流域和其他流域，扩展是通过入侵植物物种，例如芦苇，这是鱼类、螃蟹和其他无脊椎动物的次优栖息地。在一个相对没有近期人类干预的地区，海平面上升速度很快，这使得穆利卡河谷流域成为继续评估海平面上升对盐沼生态系统影响的理想地点。