Hurricanes affect coastal landscapes in the context of ongoing sea-level rise. This project will test the hypothesis that disassembly of ecosystems from winds and high water interacts with increased salinity from storm-surges and sea-level rise to influence regeneration by plants and associated mycorrhizal fungi, causing landward shifts in species distributions and reassembly of ecosystems. The study site, Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), Alabama, is experiencing chronic sea-level rise. Hurricane Ivan (2004) caused wind damage and a moderate-salinity storm-surge. Hurricane Katrina (2005) caused an extended high-salinity storm-surge and extensive redistribution of sediments. Pre/post-Ivan vegetation surveys and post-Ivan/pre-Katrina sediment cores provide baseline data. Sediments at different elevations will be re-cored to assess biophysical changes. Changes in vegetation will be measured in permanent plots along transects from estuarine marshes to terrestrial forests and in local areas of intense wind/water damage. By combining global climate change science with coastal disturbance ecology, this research will facilitate practical restoration and management in coastal areas experiencing hurricanes and sea level rise. In collaboration with WBNERR, results will be disseminated to professional audiences and will expose ~5,000 visitors annually to interactive effects of hurricanes and global climate change on coastal habitats along the Gulf of Mexico.
