Arid zone coastal wetlands provide disproportionally important ecosystem services due to their relatively high levels of productivity relative to adjacent terrestrial systems. However, these wetlands are vulnerable to sea level rise as sediments needed for vertical accretion are limited. In order to assess the processes important for vertical accretion in arid zone coastal wetlands, we assessed vertical accretion across an arid zone wetland landscape in Western Australia. We found that overall coastal wetlands were declining in elevation at −0.18 mm yr⁻¹ (± standard error 0.12 mm yr⁻¹). Vertical accretion in mangroves was evident in years of high mean sea level, but this was insufficient to counteract shallow subsidence. The high intertidal cyanobacterial mat and salt flat zones were eroding, particularly in years of high rainfall. We observed retreat of the seaward mangrove fringe associated with tree mortality caused by cyclones, but we also observed recruitment of mangroves onto the high intertidal cyanobacterial mat zone, attributed to higher sea levels. Our study found complexity in the factors causing landscape change across the intertidal zone, where variation in sea level, intense storms, and other climatic and biotic factors interact.

中文翻译：

---

干旱区沿海湿地景观对海平面上升和强风暴的脆弱性

干旱区沿海湿地提供了不成比例的重要生态系统服务，因为它们相对于邻近陆地系统的生产力水平相对较高。然而，由于垂直堆积所需的沉积物有限，这些湿地很容易受到海平面上升的影响。为了评估对干旱区沿海湿地垂直增生的重要过程，我们评估了西澳大利亚干旱区湿地景观的垂直增生。我们发现整个沿海湿地的海拔在 -0.18 mm yr ^-1（± 标准误差 0.12 mm yr ^-1）。在平均海平面高的年份，红树林的垂直增生很明显，但这不足以抵消浅层沉降。高潮间带蓝藻垫和盐滩区正在侵蚀，特别是在降雨量大的年份。我们观察到与气旋引起的树木死亡相关的向海红树林边缘的撤退，但我们也观察到红树林在高潮间带蓝藻垫带上的补充，这归因于海平面升高。我们的研究发现导致潮间带景观变化的因素很复杂，海平面变化、强烈风暴以及其他气候和生物因素相互作用。