Abstract
The marshlands of the Meadowlands of New Jersey are valuable wetland ecosystems in a highly developed urban area and provide a natural habitat to more than 285 species of birds, a great variety of fishes, and many other living organisms. It is not clear if these ecosystems and their associated ecological services will persist under conditions of accelerated sea level rise (SLR), in geography where space for a landward retreat of marshlands is limited. In this study, we used the deep rod surface elevation table method and feldspar marker horizons to measure surface elevation change and vertical accretion rate in five marshland sites over 11 years. The controlling parameters of the accretion rate were explored. The results showed that sediments were not limited for vertical accretion. About 16% of the total suspended solids reaching the marsh via the tide was trapped by the marsh surface. Hydraulic duty alone cannot explain differences in deposition rates between low and high marsh. Precipitation, snow accumulation, and sea surge from storms were the main drivers influencing subsidence. The overall subsidence rate was 1.5 ± 1.3 mm/year. All sites combined showed increases in surface elevation of 4.0 ± 0.7 mm/year. This rate of increase is not enough to keep up with the 8 mm/year SLR prediction. There is a 50% chance that in 80 years, 7% of current marshlands will be underwater or will convert to unvegetated mudflats, and most high marsh habitats will disappear.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Code availability
No software applications and custom code is applicable to this MS.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. The authors thank the MERI Geographical Information System group for making the maps. Inputs from Michael Stepowyj, Ildiko Pechmann, Yefim Levinsky, Sandy Speers, Miranda Meng, and Batu Cam are also appreciated.
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This study was supported by the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA).
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FJA supervised this study and wrote the manuscript. JG conducted the field measurement and data analysis. YY conducted the data analysis and wrote the manuscript.
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Artigas, F.J., Grzyb, J. & Yao, Y. Sea level rise and marsh surface elevation change in the Meadowlands of New Jersey. Wetlands Ecol Manage 29, 181–192 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-020-09777-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-020-09777-2