salt marsh

Consider the marsh crab: Climate change shifts which species are key

By Kristin Huizenga ⋅ August 3, 2020 ⋅ Post a comment

Munching, nibbling and burrowing their way through life, the humble marsh crab can now add “keystone species” to its ecological resume. As sea level rise has inundated shorelines on the East Coast of the United States, marsh crabs have emerged as important players in shaping how marshes respond to climate change. Kristin HuizengaI am a […]

Turning Knowledge into Action: How the Town of Truro Adapted to Increasing Flood Risk Under Climate Change

By R J Parker ⋅ December 27, 2019 ⋅ Post a comment

Global sea level is projected to rise at a rate of 3.7mm/year throughout the first half of the next century, according to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC). As coastal communities around the world brace to meet this worrying projection, it’s become clear that many simply have no options […]

Mangrove Takeover Impacting Salt Marshes

By Rebecca Flynn ⋅ January 8, 2017 ⋅ Post a comment

Mangroves are encroaching on salt marsh habitats worldwide, but what does this change in plant community mean for the plants, ecosystem processes, and other inhabitants of these areas? Find out a bit of the answer to that question in today’s oceanbites! Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and the […]

Rip Rap Sill: The Best of Both Worlds

By Kari St.Laurent ⋅ July 5, 2016 ⋅ Post a comment

The hybrid shoreline stabilization method called rip rap sill combines rock structures with native vegetation. This study found that fish biodiversity and abundance in rip rap sills was more similar to a native marsh than a built rip rap. Kari St.LaurentI received a Ph.D. in oceanography in 2014 from the Graduate School of Oceanography (URI) […]

Salt Marshes Resilient Against Sea Level Rise

By Brian Caccioppoli ⋅ February 29, 2016 ⋅ Post a comment

Will salt marshes survive sea level rise? Previous studies have emphatically answered “No!” suggesting a 20-50% loss by the year 2100. However, Kirwan and colleagues have challenged this notion, finding that salt marshes are not nearly as fragile as previously thought, and that salt marshes will not succumb to the rising sea without a fight! […]

It’s a TRAP! Predators help trap carbon in coastal sediments

By Kari St.Laurent ⋅ January 12, 2016 ⋅ One comment

Vegetated coastal ecosystems, such as salt marshes, can trap and store carbon for millennia. This perspective investigates how the effects from the global loss of predators has cascaded down to these habitats, often resulting in lower carbon storage. Kari St.LaurentI received a Ph.D. in oceanography in 2014 from the Graduate School of Oceanography (URI) and […]