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13 - Climatic Impacts on Salt Marsh Vegetation

from Part III - Marsh Response to Stress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2021

By
Katrina L. Poppe  and
John M. Rybczyk
Edited by
Duncan M. FitzGerald  and
Zoe J. Hughes
Duncan M. FitzGerald
Affiliation:
Boston University
Zoe J. Hughes
Affiliation:
Boston University
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Summary

The salt marsh response to a changing climate may be more complex than that of either terrestrial or marine ecosystems because salt marshes exist at the interface of land and sea and both bring changes to the marsh. Climate change may exacerbate anthropogenic-related stresses that salt marsh plants are already experiencing, limiting their resilience (Keddy 2011). In this chapter we discuss major climate change impacts likely to affect salt marshes including temperature, sea level rise (SLR), salinity, CO2, freshwater flow, sediment, and nutrients, and consider how salt marsh plants respond to these impacts and potential interactions of these impacts. Specifically, we explore changes in plant productivity and decomposition rates, aboveground and belowground biomass, and stem density as they are central to understanding marsh responses on a larger scale, with implications for species composition, elevation change, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, food webs, and ultimately marsh survival. Although this chapter is focused on salt marshes, examples from tidal fresh and brackish marshes are also included to a limited extent where relevant.

Keywords

climatic factorsproductiondiversitydecompositionsea level riseadaptation

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Salt Marshes
Function, Dynamics, and Stresses
 , pp. 337 - 366
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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