The primary scientific objective of this project is to unravel how elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, nitrogen pollution, climate change, sea-level rise and plant invasion interact to control the sustainability of tidal marsh ecosystems. The wealth of long-term global change research at the study site affords an unprecedented comparison of the relative importance of these factors. This twenty-three year record of global change has shown that effects that appear important in the short term may be obviated or reversed when longer-term trends are considered. The central hypothesis is that changes in plant community composition will mediate the most important effects of global change on ecosystem sustainability. To address this, the researchers will extend the record of ongoing global change treatments, continue monitoring ecosystem response and initiate new experimentation with plant communities.
The information garnered from the proposed research will inform management practices aimed at protecting and restoring coastal wetlands. Tidal wetlands make up the ecological fabric of coastal and estuarine ecosystems providing ecosystem services such as nourishing food chains, filtering water and protecting coastal populations. The most important ecosystem endpoint is soil elevation gain, because tidal marshes must gain soil to keep up with sea-level rise. Otherwise, the marsh will be converted to open water and the critical ecosystem services will be irreversibly lost. This interdisciplinary project will train researchers at all levels and inform the public about the critical issues of sea level rise and elevated carbon dioxide. Six undergraduate students will be involved in the project, and the study site hosts thousands of elementary and high school aged students through intensive science camps.
