Shoreline Loss of Historical Importance: Using 210Pb and 137Cs to Calculate Sediment Accumulation
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
The United States’ East Coast is at increasing risk of degradation and devastation as a result of factors associated with climate change. Common among these threats are rising relative sea level, nuisance flooding, and tropical cyclone storm events, augmented both in frequency and severity. Due to their position in the landscape, salt marshes are often the first area to be impacted by storms. Many salt marshes are considered ecotones, or, boundaries between two systems. Ecotones are transitional ecosystems, and typically appear wedged between a riverine or marine environment and a terrestrial ecosystem. Areas experiencing sea level rise alongside anthropogenic effects are at a greater risk for marsh erosion. As these marshes retreat laterally in response, the dynamics of the ecosystem effectively change. The retreating marsh becomes transgressive, encroaching into adjacent terrestrial ecosystems, which can cause significant impacts to agricultural or developed land and forests. Brunswick Town Fort Anderson is a local historic site bordering the Cape Fear River. The site is experiencing high rates of shoreline loss which is threatening the very survival of many historic artifacts and fortifications. This study examines the relationship between anthropogenic effects and paleotempestology and their combined effects on the marsh’s formation and the processes that drive its development. Specifically, how do the effects of paleotempestology and anthropogenic impacts affect sediment accumulation rates and the marsh’s ability to keep pace against rising sea level?
