Glenn Guntenspergen, Ph.D.
Glenn is a Research Ecologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 116
Overestimation of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise
Coastal marshes are considered to be among the most valuable and vulnerable ecosystems on Earth, where the imminent loss of ecosystem services is a feared consequence of sea level rise. However, we show with a meta-analysis that global measurements of marsh elevation change indicate that marshes are generally building at rates similar to or exceeding historical sea level rise, and that process-bas
Authors
Matthew L. Kirwan, Stijn Temmerman, Emily E. Skeehan, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Sergio Fagherazzi
Impacts of climate change on land-use and wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America
Wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is closely linked to climate. A warmer and drier climate, as predicted, will negatively affect the productivity of PPR wetlands and the services they provide. The effect of climate change on wetland productivity, however, will not only depend on natural processes (e.g., evapotranspiration), but also on human responses. Agric
Authors
Benjamin S. Rashford, Richard M. Adams, Jun Wu, Richard A. Voldseth, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Brett Werner, W. Carter Johnson
Greenhouse gas fluxes from salt marshes exposed to chronic nutrient enrichment
We assessed the impact of nutrient additions on greenhouse gas fluxes using dark static chambers in a microtidal and a macrotidal marsh along the coast of New Brunswick, Canada approximately monthly over a year. Both were experimentally fertilized for six years with varying levels of N and P. For unfertilized, N and NPK treatments, average yearly CO2 emissions (which represent only respiration) at
Authors
Gail L. Chmura, Lisa Kellman, Lee van Ardenne, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Non-linear responses of glaciated prairie wetlands to climate warming
The response of ecosystems to climate warming is likely to include threshold events when small changes in key environmental drivers produce large changes in an ecosystem. Wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) are especially sensitive to climate variability, yet the possibility that functional changes may occur more rapidly with warming than expected has not been examined or modeled. The pro
Authors
W. Carter Johnson, Brett Werner, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
The vulnerability of Indo-Pacific mangrove forests to sea-level rise
Sea-level rise can threaten the long-term sustainability of coastal communities and valuable ecosystems such as coral reefs, salt marshes and mangroves. Mangrove forests have the capacity to keep pace with sea-level rise and to avoid inundation through vertical accretion of sediments, which allows them to maintain wetland soil elevations suitable for plant growth. The Indo-Pacific region holds mos
Authors
Catherine E. Lovelock, Donald R. Cahoon, Daniel A. Friess, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Ken W. Krauss, Ruth Reef, Kerrylee Rogers, Megan L. Saunders, Frida Sidik, Andrew Swales, Neil Saintilan, Le Xuan Thuyen, Tran Triet
Sediment transport-based metrics of wetland stability
Despite the importance of sediment availability on wetland stability, vulnerability assessments seldom consider spatiotemporal variability of sediment transport. Models predict that the maximum rate of sea level rise a marsh can survive is proportional to suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and accretion. In contrast, we find that SSC and accretion are higher in an unstable marsh than in an adj
Authors
Neil K. Ganju, Matthew L. Kirwan, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Donald R. Cahoon, Kevin D. Kroeger
Response of plant productivity to experimental flooding in a stable and a submerging marsh
Recent models of tidal marsh evolution rely largely on the premise that plants are most productive at an optimal flooding regime that occurs when soil elevations are somewhere between mean sea level and mean high tide. Here, we use 4 years of manipulative “marsh organ” flooding experiments to test the generality of this conceptual framework and to examine how the optimal flooding frequency may cha
Authors
Matthew L. Kirwan, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Use of structured decision making to identify monitoring variables and management priorities for salt marsh ecosystems
Most salt marshes in the USA have been degraded by human activities, and coastal managers are faced with complex choices among possible actions to restore or enhance ecosystem integrity. We applied structured decision making (SDM) to guide selection of monitoring variables and management priorities for salt marshes within the National Wildlife Refuge System in the northeastern USA. In general, SDM
Authors
Hilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, W. Gregory Shriver, Susan C. Adamowicz
Connecting the dots: a collaborative USGS-NPS effort to expand the utility of monitoring data
The Natural Resource Challenge (National Park Service 1999) was a call to action. It
constituted a mandate for monitoring based on the twin premises that (1) natural resources
in national parks require active management and stewardship if we are to protect them from
gradual degradation, and (2) we cannot protect what we do not understand. The intent of the
challenge was embodied in its origina
Authors
James B. Grace, Donald R. Schoolmaster, E. William Schweiger, Brian R. Mitchell, Kathryn Miller, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Threshold concepts: implications for the management of natural resources
Threshold concepts can have broad relevance in natural resource management. However, the concept of ecological thresholds has not been widely incorporated or adopted in management goals. This largely stems from the uncertainty revolving around threshold levels and the post hoc analyses that have generally been used to identify them. Natural resource managers have a need for new tools and approache
Authors
Glenn R. Guntenspergen, John Gross
Temperature sensitivity of organic-matter decay in tidal marshes
Approximately half of marine carbon sequestration takes place in coastal wetlands, including tidal marshes, where organic matter contributes to soil elevation and ecosystem persistence in the face of sea-level rise. The long-term viability of marshes and their carbon pools depends, in part, on how the balance between productivity and decay responds to climate change. Here, we report the sensitivit
Authors
Matthew L. Kirwan, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, J.A. Langley
Applying threshold concepts to conservation management of dryland ecosystems: Case studies on the Colorado Plateau
Ecosystems may occupy functionally distinct alternative states, some of which are more or less desirable from a management standpoint. Transitions from state to state are usually associated with a particular trigger or sequence of triggers, such as the addition or subtraction of a disturbance. Transitions are often not linear, rather it is common to see an abrupt transition come about even though
Authors
Matthew A. Bowker, Mark E. Miller, Steven L. Garman, Travis Belote
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Filter Total Items: 116
Overestimation of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise
Coastal marshes are considered to be among the most valuable and vulnerable ecosystems on Earth, where the imminent loss of ecosystem services is a feared consequence of sea level rise. However, we show with a meta-analysis that global measurements of marsh elevation change indicate that marshes are generally building at rates similar to or exceeding historical sea level rise, and that process-basAuthorsMatthew L. Kirwan, Stijn Temmerman, Emily E. Skeehan, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Sergio FagherazziImpacts of climate change on land-use and wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America
Wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is closely linked to climate. A warmer and drier climate, as predicted, will negatively affect the productivity of PPR wetlands and the services they provide. The effect of climate change on wetland productivity, however, will not only depend on natural processes (e.g., evapotranspiration), but also on human responses. AgricAuthorsBenjamin S. Rashford, Richard M. Adams, Jun Wu, Richard A. Voldseth, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Brett Werner, W. Carter JohnsonGreenhouse gas fluxes from salt marshes exposed to chronic nutrient enrichment
We assessed the impact of nutrient additions on greenhouse gas fluxes using dark static chambers in a microtidal and a macrotidal marsh along the coast of New Brunswick, Canada approximately monthly over a year. Both were experimentally fertilized for six years with varying levels of N and P. For unfertilized, N and NPK treatments, average yearly CO2 emissions (which represent only respiration) atAuthorsGail L. Chmura, Lisa Kellman, Lee van Ardenne, Glenn R. GuntenspergenNon-linear responses of glaciated prairie wetlands to climate warming
The response of ecosystems to climate warming is likely to include threshold events when small changes in key environmental drivers produce large changes in an ecosystem. Wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) are especially sensitive to climate variability, yet the possibility that functional changes may occur more rapidly with warming than expected has not been examined or modeled. The proAuthorsW. Carter Johnson, Brett Werner, Glenn R. GuntenspergenThe vulnerability of Indo-Pacific mangrove forests to sea-level rise
Sea-level rise can threaten the long-term sustainability of coastal communities and valuable ecosystems such as coral reefs, salt marshes and mangroves. Mangrove forests have the capacity to keep pace with sea-level rise and to avoid inundation through vertical accretion of sediments, which allows them to maintain wetland soil elevations suitable for plant growth. The Indo-Pacific region holds mosAuthorsCatherine E. Lovelock, Donald R. Cahoon, Daniel A. Friess, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Ken W. Krauss, Ruth Reef, Kerrylee Rogers, Megan L. Saunders, Frida Sidik, Andrew Swales, Neil Saintilan, Le Xuan Thuyen, Tran TrietSediment transport-based metrics of wetland stability
Despite the importance of sediment availability on wetland stability, vulnerability assessments seldom consider spatiotemporal variability of sediment transport. Models predict that the maximum rate of sea level rise a marsh can survive is proportional to suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and accretion. In contrast, we find that SSC and accretion are higher in an unstable marsh than in an adjAuthorsNeil K. Ganju, Matthew L. Kirwan, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Donald R. Cahoon, Kevin D. KroegerResponse of plant productivity to experimental flooding in a stable and a submerging marsh
Recent models of tidal marsh evolution rely largely on the premise that plants are most productive at an optimal flooding regime that occurs when soil elevations are somewhere between mean sea level and mean high tide. Here, we use 4 years of manipulative “marsh organ” flooding experiments to test the generality of this conceptual framework and to examine how the optimal flooding frequency may chaAuthorsMatthew L. Kirwan, Glenn R. GuntenspergenUse of structured decision making to identify monitoring variables and management priorities for salt marsh ecosystems
Most salt marshes in the USA have been degraded by human activities, and coastal managers are faced with complex choices among possible actions to restore or enhance ecosystem integrity. We applied structured decision making (SDM) to guide selection of monitoring variables and management priorities for salt marshes within the National Wildlife Refuge System in the northeastern USA. In general, SDMAuthorsHilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, W. Gregory Shriver, Susan C. AdamowiczConnecting the dots: a collaborative USGS-NPS effort to expand the utility of monitoring data
The Natural Resource Challenge (National Park Service 1999) was a call to action. It constituted a mandate for monitoring based on the twin premises that (1) natural resources in national parks require active management and stewardship if we are to protect them from gradual degradation, and (2) we cannot protect what we do not understand. The intent of the challenge was embodied in its originaAuthorsJames B. Grace, Donald R. Schoolmaster, E. William Schweiger, Brian R. Mitchell, Kathryn Miller, Glenn R. GuntenspergenThreshold concepts: implications for the management of natural resources
Threshold concepts can have broad relevance in natural resource management. However, the concept of ecological thresholds has not been widely incorporated or adopted in management goals. This largely stems from the uncertainty revolving around threshold levels and the post hoc analyses that have generally been used to identify them. Natural resource managers have a need for new tools and approacheAuthorsGlenn R. Guntenspergen, John GrossTemperature sensitivity of organic-matter decay in tidal marshes
Approximately half of marine carbon sequestration takes place in coastal wetlands, including tidal marshes, where organic matter contributes to soil elevation and ecosystem persistence in the face of sea-level rise. The long-term viability of marshes and their carbon pools depends, in part, on how the balance between productivity and decay responds to climate change. Here, we report the sensitivitAuthorsMatthew L. Kirwan, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, J.A. LangleyApplying threshold concepts to conservation management of dryland ecosystems: Case studies on the Colorado Plateau
Ecosystems may occupy functionally distinct alternative states, some of which are more or less desirable from a management standpoint. Transitions from state to state are usually associated with a particular trigger or sequence of triggers, such as the addition or subtraction of a disturbance. Transitions are often not linear, rather it is common to see an abrupt transition come about even thoughAuthorsMatthew A. Bowker, Mark E. Miller, Steven L. Garman, Travis Belote - News