December 23, 2024

The Great Sediment Shortfall: Why Rivers Can’t Rescue Coastal Wetlands

In a just-released paper in Science, scientists concluded this method wont work in the majority of U.S. rivers.Limited Sediment Supply Hinders Wetland RestorationThe factor, they said, is not adequate sediment. He said, “The Elwha is the poster child for a dam elimination job bring back coastal sediment, and for good factor: it liberated a massive amount of sediment and sand.”However, rivers along the East and Gulf coasts are less steep than on the West Coast, and they have less sediment that might potentially reach wetlands– wetlands that are larger, requiring more sediment to keep them above rising seas. “These results, and the local variations recorded by mapping the whole coastal U.S., supply necessary guidance to managers and researchers, documenting where future efforts must focus on other procedures beyond watershed sediment,” he said.Such efforts might consist of finding ways to keep more mineral sediments, plant product, and organic carbon in wetland soils, explained Donald F. Boesch, professor emeritus of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

In a just-released paper in Science, researchers concluded this technique wont work in a lot of U.S. rivers.Limited Sediment Supply Hinders Wetland RestorationThe reason, they said, is not sufficient sediment.”However, rivers along the East and Gulf coasts are less high than on the West Coast, and they have less sediment that might possibly reach wetlands– wetlands that are larger, requiring more sediment to keep them above increasing seas. “These results, and the regional variations recorded by mapping the entire seaside U.S., supply vital guidance to researchers and managers, documenting where future efforts must focus on other processes beyond watershed sediment,” he said.Such efforts might consist of discovering methods to keep more mineral sediments, plant product, and organic carbon in wetland soils, explained Donald F. Boesch, professor emeritus of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.