Irving A Mendelssohn

Irving A Mendelssohn
Louisiana State University | LSU · Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences (DOCS)

Ph.D.

About

217
Publications
34,879
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Introduction
Dr. Irving A. Mendelssohn currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Wetland Scientists and Merit Awardee, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, where he conducted research as a visiting scientist. Dr. Mendelssohn’s recent research emphasizes the restoration and sustainability of coastal wetlands, the analysis of the causes of vegetation dieback in coastal marshes, and the effects of multiple stressors, including sea-level rise, eutrophication, oil pollution and salt water intrusion, on the ecology and restoration of coastal wetlands.
Additional affiliations
January 2003 - December 2010
Aarhus University
Description
  • Intermittent research
January 1979 - December 2012
Louisiana State University
Education
September 1973 - May 1978
January 1971 - August 1973
College of William and Mary/Virginia Institute of Marince Science
Field of study
  • Marine Science
September 1965 - June 1969
Wilkes University
Field of study
  • Biology

Publications

Publications (217)
Article
Full-text available
Climate change is altering species’ range limits and transforming ecosystems. For example, warming temperatures are leading to the range expansion of tropical, cold-sensitive species at the expense of their cold-tolerant counterparts. In some temperate and subtropical coastal wetlands, warming winters are enabling mangrove forest encroachment into...
Technical Report
Global climate change is leading to large-scale shifts in species' range limits. For example, rising winter temperatures are shifting the abundance and distributions of tropical, cold sensitive plant species towards higher latitudes. Coastal wetlands provide a prime example of such shifts, with tropical mangrove forests expanding into temperate sal...
Article
Full-text available
Marine oil spills continue to be a global issue, heightened by spill events such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest marine oil spill in US waters and among the largest worldwide, affecting over 1,000 km of sensitive wetland shorelines, primarily salt marshes supporting numerous ecosystem functions. To synthesize...
Article
Knowledge of the ecological mechanisms that influence recovery after oil spills is needed to better manage, mitigate, and restore impacted ecosystems, but the species interactions responsible for these mechanisms are poorly known. Here, we report on a species interaction in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill that may facilitate...
Article
Full-text available
Gulf of Mexico (GOM) ecosystems are interconnected by numerous physical and biological processes. After the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster, these ecological processes facilitated dispersal of oil-spill toxicants or were damaged and broken. A considerable portion of post-DWH research focused on higher levels of biological organization (i.e., popul...
Article
Prior studies indicated salt marsh periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata) were strongly impacted in heavily oiled marshes for at least 5 years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Here, we detail longer-term effects and recovery over nine years. Our analysis found that neither density nor population size structure recovered at heavily oiled sites...
Article
The need for a comprehensive understanding of coastal wetland restoration strategies became clear following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill when quantities of oil reaching the marshes overwhelmed the ecosystem's natural attenuation capacity for several years in the worst-hit areas. Planting and fertilization are common habitat restoration methods i...
Article
Given the severity of injuries to biota in coastal wetlands from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) and the resulting availability of funding for restoration, information on impacted salt marshes and biotic development of restored marshes may both help inform marsh restoration planning in the near term and for future spills. Accordingly, we perf...
Article
Hurricanes periodically deliver sediment to coastal wetlands, such as those in the Mississippi River Delta Complex (MRDC), slowing elevation loss and improving resilience to sea-level rise. However, the amount of hurricane sediment deposited and retained in a wetland may vary depending on the dominant vegetation. In the subtropical climate of the M...
Article
Disturbance interactions occur when one perturbation influences the severity and perhaps the baseline state of succeeding disturbances. Natural and anthropogenic disturbances are frequent in dynamic coastal ecosystems and can often be linked. We evaluated potential for disturbance interactions associated with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil sp...
Article
Management and restoration of coastal wetlands require insight into how inundation, salinity, and the availability of mineral sediment and nutrients interact to influence ecosystem functions that control sustainability. The Mississippi River Delta, which ranks among the world's largest and most productive coastal wetland complexes, has experienced...
Article
Many factors influence the rate at which biotic communities recover from environmental disasters, and a thorough understanding of these factors is needed to formulate effective mitigation strategies. The importance of foundation species, soil environmental quality, and benthic microalgae to the long-term recovery of the salt marsh infaunal communit...
Article
The Mississippi River Delta Complex (MRDC) has experienced extensive wetland loss in the last century due, in part, to flood control levees that have isolated the lower Mississippi River and its sediment resource from adjacent wetlands. Reconnecting the River to these wetlands through diversions is being used and proposed on a larger scale for the...
Article
Coastal wetland sustainability in the future will likely depend on the extent to which increases in sea level drive flooding duration, plant submergence, and higher salinities, and how wetlands respond to these changes. Coastal wetlands will need to grow vertically to cope with rising seas, and sedimentation, often observed following hurricane pass...
Article
Full-text available
Foundation species contribute to the recovery of animal communities from disturbance by engineering, by improving habitat quality, and by regulating food availability. In a salt marsh impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we tested the hypothesis that nutrient subsidies would enhance the positive effects of the foundation species Spartina al...
Article
Full-text available
Coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise are greatly influenced by biogeomorphic processes that affect wetland surface elevation. Small changes in elevation relative to sea level can lead to comparatively large changes in ecosystem structure, function, and stability. The surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) approach is being used glob...
Article
Full-text available
Salt marshes in northern Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA were oiled, sometimes heavily, in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Previous studies indicate that fiddler crabs (in the genus Uca ) and the salt marsh periwinkle ( Littoraria irrorata) were negatively impacted in the short term by the spill. Here, we detail longer-term effects...
Chapter
Full-text available
Urbanization and industrial development pressures have seriously impacted coastal ecosystems, including vegetated intertidal and subtidal marine habitats such as barrier strands and associated wetlands and seagrasses. These ecosystems provide a suite of services including carbon storage, pollution and nutrient abatement, soil formation, fisheries s...
Article
We examined the recovery of infauna from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in reference, moderately and heavily oiled Louisiana, USA salt marshes. Although density and diversity were severely impacted by the spill initially, total meiofauna, nematodes, copepods, and annelids, excluding the polychaete Manayunkia aestuarina, recovered in about 3 y...
Article
Fertilizer use in agricultural lands and treated wastewater disposal have increased bioavailable nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loading to wetlands and aquatic systems with potential implications for nutrient cycling and soil microbial processes. Recently, conflicting results of N loading impacts on microbial-mediated organic matter decomposition...
Article
Gulf of Mexico saltmarsh sediments were heavily impacted by Macondo well oil (MWO) released from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Detailed molecular-level characterization of sediment extracts collected over 48 months post-spill highlights the chemical complexity of highly polar, oxygen-containing compounds that remain environmentally pe...
Article
Mangroves occur on upper intertidal shorelines in the tropics and subtropics. Complex hydrodynamic and salinity conditions influence mangrove distributions, primarily related to elevation and hydroperiod; this review considers how these adjust through time. Accumulation rates of allochthonous and autochthonous sediment, both inorganic and organic,...
Article
Anthropogenically enhanced nutrient availability is often cited among the most important drivers of altered ecosystem function and loss of services world‐wide. Although the above‐ground consequences of nutrient enrichment on plant growth patterns are numerous and well documented, below‐ground impacts are less clear but nonetheless critical from a g...
Article
Full-text available
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in varying degrees of oiling in the salt marshes of northern Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA. This study examines the effects of oiling intensity and recovery on two conspicuous marsh-platform macroinvertebrates, Uca spp., fiddler crabs, and Littoraria irrorata, the salt marsh periwinkle, from 2.5 to 4.5 years...
Article
Full-text available
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in varying degrees of oiling in the salt marshes of northern Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA. This study examines the effects of oiling intensity and recovery on two conspicuous marsh-platform macroinvertebrates, Uca spp., fiddler crabs, and Littoraria irrorata, the salt marsh periwinkle, from 2.5 to 4.5 years...
Article
We examined the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on benthic microalgae and meiofauna in Louisiana, USA, salt marshes. Further, we quantified recovery over 4 yr and compared it to recovery of the dominant salt marsh macrophyte Spartina alterniflora. Although impacts were apparent at lightly and moderately oiled sites, negative effects on m...
Article
Full-text available
During the next century coastal marsh sustainability will largely depend on whether or not marshes can keep pace with rising sea levels while weathering more frequent and/or intense storms. In particular, hurricanes have the potential to inflict widespread damage to coastal systems, but can also deliver nourishing inorganic sediment. To determine i...
Article
Full-text available
China's rice policy for protecting paddy fields and constructing rice production bases is in conflict with its wetland conservation strategy. The policy will increase the rice planting area, the loss of remaining wetlands, and environmental pollution, with intensive application of fertilizers and heavy use of pesticides. The key to resolving this c...
Article
The link between anthropogenically modified nutrient loading and coastal wetland stability is not well understood due to limited data from long-term experiments and inconsistent findings from investigations thus far. In this study, we present results from a 13- year oligohaline marsh fertilization experiment aimed at determining whether eutrophic c...
Article
Aim To reassess the capacity of mangroves for ecosystem services in the light of recent data. Location Global mangrove ecosystems. Methods We review four long‐standing roles of mangroves: (1) carbon dynamics – export or sink; (2) nursery role; (3) shoreline protection; (4) land‐building capacity. The origins of pertinent hypotheses, current under...
Conference Paper
Abstract: The composition and diversity of indigenous wetland vegetation is known to be strongly influenced by nutrient availability. To test the nutrient status (nitrogen or phosphorus limitation) of wetlands in the Waikato and their response to nutrient addition, we undertook a fertilisation experiment across a gradient from an early successional...
Article
We investigated impacts of Macondo MC252 oil from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill on the common reed Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud., a dominant species of the Mississippi River Delta. In greenhouse experiments, we simulated the most common DWH oiling scenarios by applying weathered and emulsified Macondo oil to aboveground shoots at...
Article
Full-text available
Oligohaline wetlands exist at a dynamic interface along a river-to-estuary gradient where salinity changes frequently due to fluctuating tidal cycles and weather events. Large storms can cause short-term saltwater intrusion into these low-lying coastal areas, exposing oligohaline wetland plants and soils to above-normal salinities and sever...
Article
Full-text available
We monitored wetland biomass, decomposition, hydrology, and soil porewater chemistry at the Breton Sound estuary, which receives Mississippi River water from the Caernarvon river diversion structure. The estuary was in the direct path of hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused a dramatic loss of wetlands in the upper basin. From March 2006 to Octob...
Article
Full-text available
Salt marshes rank as the most productive ecosystems on the planet. Biomass production can be greater than 3 kg dry matter/m²/year, which is 40% more biomass than tropical rainforests produce. Salt marshes provide multiple benefits to mankind. For example, coastal communities receive protection from storm surges and wave erosion. Salt marshes absorb...
Article
We analyzed the effects of various levels of sediment-slurry addition on the restoration of the macroinvertebrate community and its related habitat (i.e., sediment and vegetation) 7 years after application to a subsided Louisiana salt marsh affected by sudden marsh dieback. Moderate sediment additions restored macroinvertebrate species richness, di...
Article
We applied sediment slurries of varying thicknesses to deteriorating vegetated brackish marsh areas with organic soils. Our objective was to determine if overall elevation change and its component processes of soil compression and sediment consolidation are differentially affected by different amounts of sediment and to assess sediment effects on k...
Data
Full-text available
Value of Salt Marshes Salt marshes rank as the most productive ecosystems on the planet (Fig. 1A and B). Biomass production can be greater than 3 kg dry matter/m 2 /year, which is 40% more biomass than tropical rainforests produce (5) (Table 1). Salt marshes provide multiple benefits to mankind. For example, coastal communities receive protection f...
Article
Rising sea levels threaten the sustainability of coastal wetlands around the globe, thus understanding how increased inundation alters the elevation change mechanisms in these systems is increasingly important. Typically, the ability of coastal marshes to maintain their position in the intertidal zone depends on the accumulation of both organic and...
Article
Full-text available
The successful restoration of Littoraria irrorata productivity in rehabilitated salt marshes has received little attention, even though this consumer species has the potential to influence salt marsh production through both bottom-up and top-down pathways. We investigated the impact of a relatively new restoration technique, sediment slurry additio...
Article
Full-text available
On 20 April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which released a US government—estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, was responsible for the death of 11 oil workers and, possibly, for an environmental disaster unparalleled in US history. For 87 consecutive days, the Macondo well continuously released crude oil into...
Article
Full-text available
Premise of the study: Long-distance dispersal can affect speciation processes in two opposing ways. Dispersal can promote geographic isolation or it can bring together geographically distant and distantly related genotypes, thus counteracting local differentiation. We used the Gulf Coast of North America (GC), a "hot spot" of reed diversity and ev...
Article
We investigated the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill on two dominant coastal saltmarsh plants, Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico and the processes controlling differential species-effects and recovery. Seven months after the Macondo MC 252 oil made landfall along the shoreline salt marshes...
Article
Although the concept of self-design is frequently employed in restoration, reestablishment of primary physical drivers does not always result in a restored ecosystem having the desired ecological functions that support system resilience and stability. We investigated the use of a primary environmental driver in coastal salt marshes, sediment availa...
Article
Full-text available
We enriched experimental plots in a Sagittaria lancifolia L. dominated oligohaline marsh for 4 yr with one of 4 levels of nitrogen (N) (0, 50, 200, or 1200 kg N ha-1 yr-1) in combination with one of 2 levels of phosphorus (P) (0 or 131 kg P ha-1 yr-1) to investigate nutrient limitation of primary production and plant community-and species-level res...
Article
As the use of in situ burning for oil spill remediation in coastal wetlands accelerates, the capacity of this procedure to restore the ecological structure and function of oil-impacted wetlands becomes increasingly important. Thus, our research focused on evaluating the functional and structural recovery of a coastal marsh in South Louisiana to an...
Article
Impacts of global climate change, such as sea level rise and severe drought, have altered the hydrology of coastal salt marshes resulting in submergence and subsequent degradation of ecosystem function. A potential method of rehabilitating these systems is the addition of sediment-slurries to increase marsh surface elevation, thus ameliorating effe...
Article
Full-text available
Cattail (Typha domingensis) has been spreading in phosphorus (P) enriched areas of the oligotrophic Florida Everglades at the expense of sawgrass (Cladium mariscus spp. jamaicense). Abundant evidence in the literature explains how the opportunistic features of Typha might lead to a complete dominance in P-enriched areas. Less clear is how Typha can...
Article
1. The expansion of Typha domingensis into areas once dominated by Cladium jamaicense in the Florida Everglades has been attributed to altered hydrology and phosphorus enrichment, although increased concentrations of sulphate and phosphorus often coincide. The potential importance of hydrogen sulphide produced from sulphate in the expansion of Typh...
Article
In the Florida Everglades, the expansion of cattail (Typha domingensis) into areas once dominated by sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) has been attributed to altered hydrology and phosphorus (P) enrichment. The objective of this study was to quantify the interactive effects of P availability and soil redox potential (Eh) on the growth and nutrient resp...
Article
The advancement of species poleward, due to global warming, has recently been documented worldwide. In Louisiana, Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) is moving northward into Spartina alterniflora salt marshes. Mangroves were historically restricted to southernmost islands and beaches by winter freezes; however, recently a noticeable expansion has...
Article
Keywords:cotton-strip assay;cotton tensile-strength loss;cellulose decomposition;Shirley soil burial test fabric
Article
Oil spills may considerably damage sensitive coastal wetlands. In this study, the tolerance limits of a dominant coastal salt marsh plant, Juncus roemerianus, to diesel oil and its phytoremediation effectiveness in wetland environments were investigated in the greenhouse. J. roemerianus was transplanted into salt marsh sediment contaminated with di...
Article
Full-text available
Approximately 40,500 ha of Spartina-dominated marshes died during a drought-induced disturbance in Louisiana. This caused concern because in the absence of recovery, dieback marshes can subside, increasing the present high rates of wetland loss in coastal Louisiana. We assessed the recovery of one such dieback area after hydraulically dredged sedim...
Article
Oil spills may detrimentally damage sensitive coastal habitats, such as coastal wetlands. Successful restoration of oiled habitats primarily depends on the tolerance of vegetation transplants to oil. In this study, tolerance limits of the dominant coastal brackish marsh plant Spartina patens to South Louisiana crude (SLC) oil and its phytoremediati...
Article
This paper provides an overview of the marsh dieback events that have been observed along the east and gulf coasts of the U.S. over the past decade. It is likely that some of the recently reported changes in marsh vegetation were affected by physical or biotic disturbances that are known to generate bare areas, such as overgrazing or wrack smotheri...
Article
We sought to determine the effectiveness of experimental disturbances for assessing resilience and stability in a Spartina alterniflora salt marsh. To do this, we applied disturbances of different intensities along a gradient of sediment deposition that doubled as a gradient of known stress, being associated in previous studies with numerous measur...
Article
The tolerance limits of Spartina alterniflora to crude oil in salt marsh sediments for potentially restoring oil-contaminated habitats were studied. The effectiveness of phytoremediation by S. alterniflora transplants on oil degradation in wetland environments was also studied. The tolerance limit of S. alterniflora to South Louisiana crude oil was...
Article
1. When multiple stressors have interactive effects they can lead to important changes in ecosystem function. We examined how three stressors affected the plant community in an oligohaline marsh in southeastern Louisiana, U.S.A. These stressors included herbivory (mostly by the introduced rodent Myocastor coypus), disturbance (herbicide application...
Article
Full-text available
Growth and nutrient responses of Rhynchospora tracyi (Tracy’s beak-rush), a wet prairie species in the Florida Everglades, to redox intensity and phosphate availability were examined under controlled redox intensities (Eh: −150, +150, and +600 mV) and phosphate levels (P: 10, 80, and 500 μg P 1−1) for 60 days. Root length, total biomass, and photos...
Article
Oil spills in nearshore environments may eventually move into sensitive coastal habitats such as coastal marshes, and could impact marsh organisms. Application of dispersants to spilled oils in nearshore environments before the oil drifts into marshes was simulated, and effectiveness of dispersants’ relief of the impact of different oil types on sa...
Article
Designed as a textbook, this volume is an up-to-date survey in ecology of freshwater and estuarine wetlands. Prominent wetland scholars address the physical environment, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, soils, and hydrology of both freshwater and estuarine wetlands. Careful syntheses review how hydrology and chemistry constrain wetlands plants and a...
Article
Louisiana has had a high rate of coastal wetland loss due mainly to the isolation of the Mississippi River from the deltaic plain. We conducted a feasibility analysis of using once-through, non-contact industrial cooling water for restoring subsiding forested wetlands in coastal Louisiana. We considered the impacts of heated water and high nutrient...
Chapter
Wetland habitats can be stressful places for plants and animals to live, although most wetland organisms are well adapted to cope with the environmental challenges posed. The two most important abiotic factors influencing wetland biota are hydrology and the chemistry of soils and water. Although all wetland plants are certainly flood tolerant, dram...
Article
Full-text available
Note: With the exception of general proofreading and reformatting for consistency with other SFER documents, Appendix 3B-3 was not substantively edited by the SFER production staff. This appendix was provided by the above-listed authors with several affiliations and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the South Florida Water Manag...
Article
The in-situ burn is an effective tool to remove oil and to promote recovery of oiled marshes. This paper documents the year-one recovery of a two-year study on an intermediate marsh in South Louisiana that was burnt to remove oil after hurricane Katrina. The burn plan and execution of the burn are briefly described. The focus of this paper is on ve...
Article
A new type of rhizotron is described that facilitates the study of root growth of inundated wetland plants. This rhizotron provides: (1) non-destructive root morphometric measurements during an experiment, (2) rhizotron-specific independent experimental units, (3) a water level of up to 45 cm above the soil surface, (4) easy access for planting, an...
Article
Full-text available
Perennial African C4 grasses are highly successful invaders in tropical and subtropical environments. One of these species, Echinochloa pyramidalis, has been introduced in the freshwater wetlands of the Mexican tropics. This alien species reduces biodiversity by replacing native species. The removal of non-indigenous species from invaded communitie...
Article
Seasonal changes in adenylate levels and adenylate energy charge (AEC) of four perennial marsh plant species growing in their natural environment were monitored. Leaf tissue was collected bimonthly from Spartina patens (Aiton) Muhl., S. cynosuroides (L.) Roth., S. alterniflora Loisel. and Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene using a method designed for f...
Article
Full-text available
Salt marshes in the southeastern United States have recently experienced massive die-off, one of many examples of widespread degradation in marine and coastal ecosystems. Although intense drought is thought to be the primary cause of this die-off, we found snail grazing to be a major contributing factor. Survey of marsh die-off areas in three state...
Article
Full-text available
The transformation of freshwater wetlands to pastures is a common practice in Mexico. This rapid loss of wetlands contrasts with the scarce information that exists about these ecosystems. To identify the environmental factors that control vegetation structure of a freshwater wetland invaded by the African grass Echinochloa pyramidalis, we character...
Article
Full-text available
Phosphorus (P) availability limits plant growth in many ecosystems. The ability of plants to explore for soil P is often impaired by nonresource stressors. Understanding the effects of these stressors on P acquisition in oligotrophic environments is critical in predicting species dominance. Growth and nutrient responses of Eleocharis cellulosa to r...
Article
In deltaic marshes, mineral sediment promotes positive elevation change and counters subsidence and sea level rise. In many such marshes sediment deficits result in wetland loss. One new way to address sediment deficiency is to supply marshes with sediments in a slurry that deposits the sediment in a thin layer over a large area. The long-term effe...
Article
Oil spills in nearshore environments may eventually move into sensitive coastal habitats such as coastal marshes and impact marsh organisms. Application of dispersants to spilled oil in nearshore environments before the oil drifts into marshes was simulated, and the toxicity, impact and effectiveness of dispersants were investigated. The tolerance...
Article
In-situ burning of oiled wetlands potentially provides a cleanup technique that is generally consistent with present wetland management procedures. The effects of water depth (+10, +2, and -2 cm), oil type (crude and diesel), and oil penetration of sediment before the burn on the relationship between vegetation recovery and soil temperature for thr...
Article
In-situ burning of spilled oil, which receives considerable attention in marine conditions, could be an effective way to cleanup wetland oil spills. An experimental in-situ burn was conducted to study the effects of oil type, marsh type, and water depth on oil chemistry and oil removal efficiency from the water surface and sediment. In-situ burning...
Article
Twenty-one full-scale in-situ burn experiments examined soil temperatures which marsh plants experience during insitu burning. Two hundred sixty four plant sods, including Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, Distichlis spicata, and Sagittarialancifolia plants, were exposed in a 6 m diameter tank to burning diesel fuel or crude oil for intervals...
Article
In wetlands, oil spills may affect decomposition in soils, which controls organic matter accumulation, the primary contributor to positive elevation change. In this study we examined how oil from a spill affected organic matter decomposition in soils of a brackish intertidal marsh in Maryland. Decomposition was measured using the cellulose (cotton)...
Article
Root and shoot growth response of Eleocharis cellulosa and Rhynchospora tracyi, two wet prairie species from the Everglades, to water level and phosphate availability were examined in rhizotrons facilitating root growth analysis. Plants were cultivated in Everglades peat subjected to ambient (10 mug Pl(-1)) and high phosphorus (500 mug Pl(-1)) avai...
Article
Aims Extensive dieback of salt marsh dominated by the perennial grass Spartina alterniflora occurred throughout the Mississippi River deltaic plain during 2000. More than 100,000 ha were affected, with 43,000 ha severely damaged. The aim of this work was to determine if sudden dieback could have been caused by a coincident drought and to assess the...
Article
The tidal energy subsidy hypothesis postulates that the high primary productivity of coastal salt marshes is the result of an energy subsidy provided by the tides. The sediment component of this subsidy is especially important in contributing to the elevation increase of the marsh surface, a process essential for the sustainability of salt marshes...