Publications by authors named "Patrick Biber"
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the ecological resilience of salt marshes in two estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico to sea level rise (SLR) by comparing one with limited upland input (Grand Bay NERR) and one with significant river input (Pascagoula River delta).
- Modeling predicted that the riverine estuary is more resilient to SLR, with thresholds of 10.3 mm/yr compared to 7.2 mm/yr in the marine-dominated estuary, due mainly to higher sediment input from the river.
- Findings indicate that while above-ground vegetation traps more sediment in both estuaries, below-ground biomass plays a larger role in marsh accretion in the marine estuary, directly affecting SLR resilience
The U. S. Gulf of Mexico is experiencing a dramatic increase in tidal marsh restoration actions, which involves planting coastal areas with smooth cordgrass () and black needlerush () for erosion control and to provide habitat for fish and wildlife.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFeedbacks among inundation, sediment trapping, and vegetation productivity help maintain coastal wetlands facing sea-level rise (SLR). However, when the SLR rate exceeds a threshold, coastal wetlands can collapse. Understanding the threshold helps address key challenges in ecology-nonlinear response of ecosystems to environmental change, promotes communication between ecologists and resource managers, and facilitates decision-making in climate change policies.
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