restoring ditched salt marshes: acting today, preparing for the next 100 years
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Restoring Ditched Salt Marshes: Acting Today,
Preparing for the Next 100 years
S.C. Adamowicz, Ph.D.; US FWSB. Argow, Ph.D.; Wesley College
Z. Hughes, Ph.D.; Boston UniversityJ. Franklin, Dalhousie University
E. Hazelton, Utah State UniversityJ. Kramer, US FWS
Overview
• Introduction• Concepts• Ditch types & history• Predicted Future Conditions• Previous Restoration Efforts• New Techniques
Unditched Marshes:Nauset Marsh, MA
Fisherman’s Island, VA
Webhannet Marsh, Wells, ME
Introduction• Salt marshes
– Are extensive ecosystems dominated by halophytic grasses
– Are a highly productive– Provide important ecosystem services
• Fish & wildlife habitat• Storm surge protection• Nutrient cycling• Flood attenuation• Shoreline protection• Marine fishery nurseries• C-sequestration
Important Concepts
• Resilience• Salt marsh capital• Self-sustaining processes
Ecosystems possessinghigh resilience can be pushed to extremes without reorganizing into a different form of stable state.
Systems lacking resilience can be “pushed” into an alternative stable state, of which there may be more than one.
Resilience
Concepts cont
• Salt Marsh Capital
MSL
S. A
ltern
iflor
aGr
owth
zone
Concepts cont
• Salt Marsh Capital
MSL
S. A
ltern
iflor
aGr
owth
zone
Concepts cont• Self-sustaining ecosystem processes
Ditching History
• Colonial Times• Public Works Administration• OMWM• Other misc (boat access, pipelines, etc)
Colonial Ditching
• Purpose- salt hay production, pasturing• Characteristics –
– “step across” x 1 ft deep– Boundary ditches 3 ft deep– Spacing: “able to turn a horse” ~60 ft
• Methods of construction– Hand digging
Recipe to make Manure.
Take the Soil and Mud, which you cutt up and throw out when you dig Ditches in a Salt Marsh, and put 20 Load of it in a heap. (John Adams, 1771) John Adams by John Trumbull;
wikitree.com
Salt marsh haystack; M. J. Heade1863
Public Works Ditching
• Purpose – mosquito control
• Characteristics- – 1- many feet deep– 1- many feet wide
• Methods: see subsequent slides
• Bourn & Cottam 1950By mid-century ~90% of salt marshes from Maine to Virginia had been ditched
Botsford Spade
Photos Courtesy CT DEP: Paul Capitosto
Hay knife CrewHay knife
Westbrook method of piling peat
Hammonasett State Park, CTClogged ditch
Scavel Plow
Ditch cleaning at Hammonasett
Hammonasett State Park, CT
90 ft spacing
Bombay Hook NWR
Parker River NWR
Prime Hook NWR
150 ft spacing
Stewart B. McKinney NWR
100 ft spacing
Rumstick Point, RI
90-130 ft spacing
Stewart B. McKinney NWR
Effects of Ditches: Drainage• Redfield 1972:“The general effect of ditching is to
reduce the natural drainage system by providing an alternate route for the flow of water.”
y = -0.4671x + 146.96R2 = 0.5673 p<9E-6
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Ditch Length (m/ ha)
Cre
ek L
engt
h (m
/ha)
Linear (Creek length (m) /ha)
Adamowicz 2002
Ditch Effects: Elevation & Sedimentation
• LeMay (2007) – Natural marsh: creeks fill first then sheet flow covers
the marsh– Ditched marsh: interior fills first & remains flooded
for longer period of time– Increased ditch length within a given area correlated
with decreased elevation– Reduced elevation and increased inundation did not more sedimentation• Ditched marshes were net erosive environments
Ditch Effects: ElevationTotal elevation and accretion reduced at ditched sites
May-00Jul-00
Sep-00
Nov-00
Jan-01
Mar-01
May-01Jul-01
Sep-01
Nov-01
Jan-02
Mar-02
May-02Jul-02
Sep-0
2
Nov-02
Jan-03
Mar-03
May-03Jul-03
Sep-03
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
Total Elevation Change vs Accretion of Non-Ditched Sites in Abscecon State Management Area, NJ
SET_NDFeldspar_NDSET_D
Chan
ge (c
m)
Erwin et al. unpublished data
Ditch Effects: Biodiversity
• Corman (2011):
– natural creeks have higher species richness– No change in density BUT:
• Mummichogs preferred upper creeks but lower ditches
• Clarke et al. (1984):– Shorebirds, wading birds, terns, swallows & crows
deprived of foraging areas (inadequate foraging areas)
OMWM: Open Marsh Water Management Ditches
• Open Marsh Water Management– Construct shallow ditches and pools to link fish
reservoirs to mosquito breeding areas– Keep fish on the marsh in between tides– Use natural control mechanisms (fish, water
regulation) to reduce mosquito production
Wertheim NWR
Parker River OMWM
Prime Hook OMWM Site
East Coast Sea Level Changes
• Sea Levels Onlinehttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends.html
Mean Sea Level Trend8534720 Atlantic City, New Jersey
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?stnid=8534720
The mean sea level trend is 3.99 millimeters/year with a 95% confidenceinterval of +/- 0.18 mm/yr based on monthly mean sea level data from 1911 to 2006 which is equivalent to a change of 1.31 feet in 100 years.
Mean Sea Level Trend8557380 Lewes, Delaware
The mean sea level trend is 3.20 millimeters/year with a 95% confidence interval of +/- 0.28 mm/yr based on monthly mean sea level data from 1919 to 2006 which is equivalent to a change of 1.05 feet in 100 years.
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?stnid=8557380
Mean Sea Level Trend8443970 Boston, Massachusetts
The mean sea level trend is 2.63 millimeters/year with a 95% confidenceinterval of +/- 0.18 mm/yr based on monthly mean sea level data from 1921 to 2006 which is equivalent to a change of 0.86 feet in 100 years
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?stnid=8443970
Mean Sea Level Trend8418150 Portland, Maine
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?stnid=8418150
The mean sea level trend is 1.82 millimeters/year with a 95% confidenceinterval of +/- 0.17 mm/yr based on monthly mean sea level data from 1912 to 2006 which is equivalent to a change of 0.60 feet in 100 years.
Summary: Future Conditions
• Different rates of SLR versus….
– Marsh capital– Sediment supply– Growth rate (increased CO2 increased Growth rate)
Effects of Previous Management Efforts
• Ditch plugging• Ditch filling• OMWM/closed systems
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
150 5 10 15 20 30 40 45 50 52
Groundwater ResultsMoody Normal Transect
bd
a
b,cb,c b,c,d
b,c
c,de
ePluggedDitch
OpenDitch
Distance (m)
Dept
h to
gro
undw
ater
(cm
)
Peat Study Site Locations(Age of plugs)
Granite Point 10
Moody 10
Parker River A 15Parker River B2 6
Westbrook 16
Hammonasset State Park 24+
Ditch Plugging 2005: Groundwater Levels
HM MO PKR A PKR B2
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
Average groundwater depths 2005***
OpenPlugged
Grou
ndw
ater
dep
th cm
Groundwater 2009: Creek, Ditch, Plugged Ditch
2006 HR 2006 MO 2009 HR 2009 MO 2010 HR 2010 MO
-16
-14
-12
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
Average groundwater depths***
CreekOpenPlugged
Grou
ndw
ater
dep
th cm
Soil Bulk Density 2009
HR MO PKR_A PKR_B2 WB0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
Average bulk density
CreekOpenPlugged
g/cm
3
*********
SignificantTreatment Effectsp<0.01 -0.001
**
% Organic Matter 2009
HR MO PKR_A PKR_B2 WB0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
% Organic matter
CreekOpenPlugged
% O
M
*** *** *****
Significant Treatment Effectp<0.01 - 0.001
Soil Pore Water 2009: H2S
HR MO PKR A PKR B2 WB0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
Average pore water H2S***
CreekOpenPlugged
Conc
entr
ation
H2S
uM
Treatment Effectp<0.001
Seliskar et al. 2004
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Perc
ent C
over
Average Percent Cover of Species Contributing Most to Dissimilarities Between Plugged and Open Ditched Sites 2005
Plugged
Ditched
Creek vs. Moody Open, Plugged 2009 SIMPER Results
HR Creek MO Open MO Plugged0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Average of Spa_pateAverage of Spa_alteAverage of Bare GroundAverage of WaterAverage of Dis_spicAverage of Pla_mariAverage of Puc_mariAverage of Tri_mari
% C
over
Species accounting for differences between groups
Creek vs. PKR B2 Open, Plugged 2009 SIMPER Results
HR Creek PKR_B2 Open PKR_B2 Plugged0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Average of Spa_pateAverage of Spa_alteAverage of WaterAverage of Dis_spicAverage of Jun_GerAverage of Gla_mari
% C
over
Species accounting for differences between groups
New Restoration Approaches & Techniques
• Objectives– Restore marshes in ways that increase resilience to
sea level rise• Remove sediment sinks• Increase marsh accretion• Increase marsh capital
– Be self-sustaining– Easily used at multiple sites– Remove ditch hydrology/ replace tidal channel
hydrology
Dike Removal
• Objectives– Restore tidal flow– Increase sedimentation– Increase site elevation – Increase plant
productivity– Increase marsh capital
Mousam River Dike Removal Feb 15, 2011
Other Dikes
Furbish Rd, Wells, ME
Patriots’ Day Storm 2007
Ditch Remediation & Tidal Channel Restoration
• New Techniques Need to:– Be self-sustaining– Easily used at multiple sites– Remove ditch hydrology/ replace tidal channel
hydrology
Thin Layer Deposition at Gateway NP
Sediment from adjacent channel Planted following Spring
Ditch Remediation
Project Area 1a
Project Area 1b
No change
Ditch 6: roll
Ditch 1: roll
Ditch 4: roll
Ditch 2: meander
Ditch 5: meander
Ditch 8: roll
No change
Mow & Roll
Cut salt grass in ditch
Sediment trapSeed trapRooting medium
Objective: Fill ditch with living roots, incorporate into surrounding peat
Expected Results
• Increase sedimentation within ditches• Increase sedimentation on adjacent marsh
surface• Increase number and density of plants
growing within ditches• Increase sheet flow
Tidal Channel Restoration
• Imperative to link tidal channel restoration to prevent waterlogging the site (recall Redfield quote)…not enough just to remove ditches
Ditches are not Creeks
Hughes unpublished data
Self-similarity of Natural Channels
Stratford, CT Mandelbrot Diagram
Average Contractor Channel Designs
Created Channel Mandelbrot Diagram
Call in the Numbers Guys
Jonathan FranklinEric Hazelton
Modeling Natural Tidal Channels
GIS to Python Model
Purpose: Provide channel design parameters to contractors
Final Goal
Increase Resilience• Increase marsh capital• Restore natural hydrology• Increase biotic diversity
Harbor Rd., Wells, ME
Thank you• Brit Argow• Zoe Hughes
• R5 LMRD Funds• NAWCA grant to DU
– Ray Whittemore– Craig Ferris
• Jordan Kramer• Jonathan Franklin• Eric Hazelton
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