The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.
Coastal Wetlands Geonarrative
March 21, 2024
Coastal Wetlands Geonarrative
USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resource Program research on wetland change and vulnerability to coastal hazards
USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resource Program research on wetland change and vulnerability to coastal hazards
About the Coastal Wetlands Geonarrative
Why are wetlands important to us?
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Many commercially and recreationally important species, such as sea trout, lobster, shrimp, and flounder, depend on healthy coastal wetlands. Wetlands are also important ecosystems for many resident and migratory birds, reptiles like alligators and snakes, and marine mammals, such as dolphins and manatees. Coastal wetlands play an important role in protecting communities from storms. Wetland vegetation absorbs waves and rainfall, which reduces storm surge, enhances shoreline protection from erosion, and diminishes urban flooding.
How vulnerable are coastal wetlands?
Due to the economic and societal importance of coastal wetlands and their uncertain futures, the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) conducts a wide variety of research on coastal wetlands to produce scientific information that examines the vulnerability of wetlands to coastal change. CMHRP research provides critical information to resource management agencies on how to conserve and protect these vital habitats for future generations. This geonarrative details examples of CMHRP research activities on coastal wetlands, including studies on sediment supply, mapping wetland habitat change, and modeling future wetland habitat under rising sea levels and impacts of storms.
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Estuarine Shoreline Change Research Project
The goal of the estuarine shoreline change project is to define shoreline positions for historical and modern wetland shorelines and calculate rates of change along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
Sediment transport between estuarine habitats in San Francisco Bay
We investigate mechanisms of sediment transport, resuspension dynamics in shoals, wave evolution in the shallows, wave attenuation in marshes, and transport of sediment between mudflats and marshes. We produce data sets for calibration of and comparison with sediment transport models, including wave parameters, suspended sediment concentration, and sediment flux.
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Coastal Environmental Geochemistry research at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center spans multiple ecosystems and topics, including coastal wetlands, aquifers, and estuaries, with the goal of providing data and guidance to federal, state, local, and private land owners and managers on these vital ecosystems.
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Tidal wetlands are an important geomorphic and ecological feature of the coastal zone. Our projects deal with the physical forcings that affect wetland stability over event-to-annual timescales, including wave attack, sediment supply, and sea-level rise.
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The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.
The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.
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Coastal wetlands are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems in the world—comparable to even rainforests and coral reefs.
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Rapid salt-marsh erosion in Grand Bay, Mississippi
This time-lapse video shows lateral erosion of a salt marsh in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of an embayment near the city of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the US Gulf coast. Wave action over the course of 6.5 months led to about 1.5 meters of erosion.
This time-lapse video shows lateral erosion of a salt marsh in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of an embayment near the city of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the US Gulf coast. Wave action over the course of 6.5 months led to about 1.5 meters of erosion.