The Degradation Of Coastal Wetlands

Wetland Restoration- involves creating conditions that are favorable for the development of wetlands (marshes or swamps). Wetlands are able to store large volumes of water which helps to reduce the discharge in a river. Wetlands don’t reduce flooding where they are located but rather downstream of the river. They have the added benefit of creating new habitats for animals and greatly increasing biodiversity. They reduce the area of land available for farming though which makes them unpopular among

at shallow sites. This community has an extremely high biological productivity it is the habitat for numerous fish, shellfish and birds. The tidal marsh is in charge of the stabilization and protection of shore and the soil formation. Unfortunately there has been a lot of human impact not only in this community but in the overall picture. In the case of the tidal marsh apparently secure from natural community in Florida and on earth may be rare in some regions, the offshore pollution, inland pollutant runoff, dredging and filling erosion of unvegetated marsh are still affecting this community.

Passive measures such as removing whatever component(s) may be damaging the wetlands may then allow them to reestablish themselves without further human assistance. This type of restoration is only viable if the outside element of harm is able to be stopped and if the wetland has not been so far degraded that the land cannot restore itself (Habitat NOAA, 2015). The second measure is through active means such as topography changes, water flow adjustment, removal of non-native species, and reintroduction of native species (Habitat NOAA, 2015). There is also the option to build new wetlands where they have not been present in the past. This can be accomplished both through large scale construction of wetlands including native species and plants, but can also include the placement of permeable structures build with materials that mimic the roots of trees and other vegetation present in wetlands such as mangroves (Tonneijck & van Wesenbeeck & Spaulding, 2013). This can allow sediment to settle in these areas which can allow colonization by wetland vegetation. This can also be used as a more passive means of reconstruction of degraded wetlands as

Estuaries are very productive systems that have a large ecological and economic value. These unique habitats that estuaries provide are utilised by many biota as well as humans. The importance can be linked to its utilisation. Numerous organisms use estuaries as natural nurseries and complex communities are present. Estuaries are are a valuable resource for the fishing industry and provide spaces for recreational activities. Estuarine habitats such as wetlands provide water filtration and carbon storage. Floodplains and daughters are utilised by the agricultural industry as they provide fertile soil.

Based on the information in this factsheet on wetlands, I would say that I personally side for protecting and preserving wetlands. Wetlands are natural environments all across the earth that are homes to several species of plant and animal life. The animal life may consist of herbivores that we as humans may consume on a daily or weekly basis. The plant life consists of many plants that depend on the environment as well as other neighboring and surrounding plants for their life, as per the concepts and theories of photosynthesis. Plants also help to better air quality as well. Why would we want to destroy their homes, the very organisms that help to better our homes? The factsheet states that many people oppose the preservation of wetlands

A coastal saltwater marsh is an ecosystem daily flooded by tides, and mostly consists of mud. They are usually located in the in the upper foreshore (seashore) area between land and brackish water in stable temperatures and high latitude locations. The area is flooded every day, delivering sediments, nutrients, and water. The plants that live in this region often trap sediments. Since they have daily access to nutrients, the marshes are involved in the delivery of nutrients to coastal regions and support a large portion of aquatic organisms’ food web. However, only plants and animals accustomed to high salt concentrations (3.5% salt) such as herbs, grasses, shrubs, fish, and crabs can live in these marshes. Some abiotic factors that affect

Salt marshes have high primary productivity (O 'Connor, Violin, Anton, Ladwig, & Piehler, 2011). Much like estuaries, salt marshes have a variety of different salinities. The environment of a salt marsh is dependent on the tides and the weather. The upper marsh has lower salinity due to low tidal inflow, whereas the lower marsh salinity is maintained by daily tidal inflow. However, variables such as heavy rain can affect both the upper and lower tidal zones. Salt marshes can also experience dry seasons where the water experiences evaporation which increases the salinity of

Wetlands play a vital role in our intricate Earth system, having a strong effect on all of the different components, especially the hydrosphere and biosphere.

There is a need for comprehensive assessment approaches that evaluate a range of wetland functions (Kusler, 1986). The need is critical as resource agencies begin managing the environment at watershed and basin scales (Hruby, 1999). Only 4% of the wetlands in the U.S. have been monitored for condition and only 10 states provided information on the support of designated uses for 1.8 million acres of wetlands assessed in their 2004 reports (USEPA, 2009b). The small percentage of wetlands being assessed did not go unnoticed by EPA. In 2011, attention was directed to monitor and assess the ecological condition of the nation’s wetlands (USEPA, 2011). The wetland component of the national aquatic resource survey is the national wetland conditional assessment (NWCA). EPA states three goals of the NWCA, 1) Produce a national report of the quality of the nation’s wetlands; 2) Help States and Tribes implement wetland monitoring and assessment programs to guide policy development and project decision making; and 3) advance the science of wetlands monitoring and assessment (USEPA,

The groyne field was placed in conjunction with beach nourishment projects to stabilise a shore that was eroding at a gradual rate before the groynes were built. Between 1929 and 1977, the shoreline remained relatively stable. However, after 1977, the groynes became increasingly ineffective, and the shoreline began eroding at much higher rates due to lack of maintenance. Today, the groynes are in poor shape and have occasionally been flanked at their landward ends(?). Several massive winter storms have since induced severe beach erosion and threatened to reverse the achievements of the protective measures put into place in Bethany Beach. Furthermore, a 147-year record of shoreline positions from 1850-1997 was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the groyne field at Bethany Beach and assess its impact on the adjacent beaches. The results indicate that the combination of the groyne field and beach fill have effectively stabilised the beach for nearly 50 years. However, the deterioration of the groynes and a series of large winter storms has resulted in increased beach erosion over the last 20 years in spite of multiple large-scale beach nourishment projects. This analysis also indicates that the combination of methods would fail without the groynes receiving constant and efficient maintenance, regardless of whether the beach nourishment projects are continued or not. Although the

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides. Salt marshes are a very stressful place to live, but a variety of organisms call this ecosystem their home.

Paul Keddy is an ecologist whose primary concern is wetlands. His approach focused on the state of these wetlands and how they are important to the Earth as well as to the people. By incorporating facts about this specific ecosystem, he emphasizes its preservation and the significance it holds. Wetlands offer carbon storage, flood control, maintenance of biodiversity, fish production, and aquifer recharge as well as other services (Keddy 141). Keddy explains that by decreasing its size, limits and restrictions are placed on these valuable services. Despite the many amenities wetlands provide, there are still many unknown which leaves a huge dilemma because if people aren’t aware of the significance of this particular ecosystem, they won’t care much to try and fight for its conservation. Even the ones that are well known, such as the Mississippi River Basin, which is intensively studied, is “…often treated in isolation, which misses two important scientific opportunities: that of learning from work carried out elsewhere, and that of sharing knowledge” (Keddy 163). His science is one that

Coastal erosion is a major concern for municipalities bordering the ocean (Feagan et al. 2015, Sekovski et al 2012). Highly vegetated regions including seagrass beds, salt marshes, and vegetated sand dunes are examples of natural habitats along shorelines that are capable of protecting coastal systems by stabilizing shoreline sediments and slowing incoming waves (Spalding et al. 2014, Barbier et al 2011). The effects of erosion are substantially more severe in areas that lack protection mechanisms capable of dispersing and slowing water and resist strong coastal winds (Shepard et al. 2011). Areas exposed directly to oceanic forces due to lack of or removal of protection systems are highly vulnerable to critical economic loss from shoreline erosion (Wamsley et al 2015).

The importance of wetlands to the global ecosystem are becoming clearer after every study. Wetlands are found all over the Earth and protect against flooding, erosion of beaches, and contaminated water. Moreover, wetlands are the home to complex,

wetlands are defined as transitional land between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. (Cowardin et al.,1979).Wetlands are one of the most productive life support systems in the world characterized with waterlogged soils and recognized for their unique role in regulating global biogeochemical cycles (Reddy and DeLaune, 2008). In the context of global biogeochemical budgets, it is the carbon (C) cycle that wetlands influence the most. carbon density of wetlands are higher among all other ecosystems due to its high productivity and slow decomposition rates, (Kayranli et al., 2010 ).