ISLAND RESTORATION TO MEET 'TRIPLE-WIN' ENGINEERING WITH NATURE OUTCOMES

The coastal islands and marshes of Chesapeake Bay USA, are disappearing along with the ecosystem services and infrastructure/shoreline protection they provide. To counter such losses, the USACE Baltimore District is restoring historic island footprints using dredged sediments. Islands constitute an important natural and nature-based feature (NNBF) that meet the 'triple win outcomes' of USACE's Engineering With Nature (EWN) initiative, by providing economic, social and environmental benefits. Here we highlight the restoration and monitoring of Swan Island using 61,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment. The creation/expansion of Swan Island, is expected to produce significant benefits in terms of ecosystem services, increased resilience to future sea level rise, and abatement of erosive losses to an adjacent coastal community. The pre- and post-restoration monitoring and model development by project partners will serve to quantify the benefits and efficacy of the island restoration thereby facilitating island restoration as a viable NNBF option in the future.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/2kvSVcH2KuE

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DETERMINING HOW SEA LEVEL RISE IMPACTS SALTWATER INTRUSION WITHIN COASTAL GROUNDWATER FLOW SYSTEMS IN THE SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE BAY

10.1130/abs/2017am-300855 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Sheila Hutt ◽

◽

Jennifer Georgen ◽

Charles Carlson

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Flow ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Sea Level ◽

Saltwater Intrusion ◽

Groundwater Flow Systems ◽

Coastal Groundwater ◽

Flow Systems ◽

Sea Level Rise Impacts

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THE IMPRINT OF SEA-LEVEL RISE AND LAND-USE CHANGE ON OYSTER HABITATS IN A SMALL TRIBUTARY CREEK OF THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY

10.1130/abs/2019se-326567 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Soely Luyando-Flusa ◽

◽

Christopher J. Hein ◽

Leslie Reeder-Myers ◽

Torben Rick ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Sea Level ◽

Small Tributary

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Contributions of Organic and Mineral Matter to Vertical Accretion in Tidal Wetlands across a Chesapeake Bay Subestuary

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse9070751 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 751

Author(s):

Jenny R. Allen ◽

Jeffrey C. Cornwell ◽

Andrew H. Baldwin

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Sea Level ◽

210Pb Dating ◽

Sediment Supply ◽

Mineral Matter ◽

Tidal Wetlands ◽

Vertical Accretion ◽

Inorganic Matter

Persistence of tidal wetlands under conditions of sea level rise depends on vertical accretion of organic and inorganic matter, which vary in their relative abundance across estuarine gradients. We examined the relative contribution of organic and inorganic matter to vertical soil accretion using lead-210 (210Pb) dating of soil cores collected in tidal wetlands spanning a tidal freshwater to brackish gradient across a Chesapeake Bay subestuary. Only 8 out of the 15 subsites had accretion rates higher than relative sea level rise for the area, with the lowest rates of accretion found in oligohaline marshes in the middle of the subestuary. The mass accumulation of organic and inorganic matter was similar and related (R2 = 0.37). However, owing to its lower density, organic matter contributed 1.5–3 times more toward vertical accretion than inorganic matter. Furthermore, water/porespace associated with organic matter accounted for 82%–94% of the total vertical accretion. These findings demonstrate the key role of organic matter in the persistence of coastal wetlands with low mineral sediment supply, particularly mid-estuary oligohaline marshes.

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Impacts of Sea‐Level Rise on Hypoxia and Phytoplankton Production in Chesapeake Bay: Model Prediction and Assessment

JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association ◽

10.1111/1752-1688.12921 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xun Cai ◽

Jian Shen ◽

Yinglong J. Zhang ◽

Qubin Qin ◽

Zhengui Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Sea Level ◽

Model Prediction ◽

Phytoplankton Production

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Approaching Sea-Level Rise (SLR) Change: Strengthening Local Responses to Sea-Level Rise and Coping with Climate Change in Northern Mozambique

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse9020205 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 205

Author(s):

Serafino Afonso Rui Mucova ◽

Ulisses Miranda Azeiteiro ◽

Walter Leal Filho ◽

Carina Lurdes Lopes ◽

João Miguel Dias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

North Coast ◽

Coastal Regions ◽

Mean Sea Level ◽

Representative Concentration Pathways ◽

Local Responses ◽

Ipcc Report ◽

Global Estimates

Mean sea-level is expected to rise significantly by 2100 in all scenarios, including those compatible with the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. Global sea level rise projections indicate devastating implications for populations, ecosystem services and biodiversity. The implications of the sea-level rise (SLR) on low-lying islands and coastal regions and communities are substantial and require deep-rooted coping measures. In the absence of adequate responses for coping, Mozambique is expected to record huge losses, with an impact on the economy and development in many sectors of its coastal regions mainly in northern Mozambique. This research aimed to perform projections on SLR in Mozambique, and to understand its role and implications on the north coast of the country. SLR was estimated through the analysis of model outputs that support the global estimates of the fifth IPCC report near the Mozambican coast, for each of the four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) scenarios. Regional coastline retreat and coastal erosion were estimated through the results of global sandy coastlines projections developed by Vousdoukas. Mean sea-level rise projections indicate that regional estimates for the Mozambican coast are relative higher than global estimates (~0.05 m) for all representative concentration pathways (RCPs). Yet, we highlight significant differences in sea-level rises of 0.5 m, 0.7 m or 1.0 m by 2100 compared to the global mean. It is expected that with the increase in the mean sea level in the northern part of the Mozambican coast, erosive effects will increase, as well as the retreat of the coastline until 2100. With this, the tourism sector, settlements, ecosystem services and local populations are expected to be significantly affected by 2050, with increased threats in 2100 (RCP4.5, RCP8.5). Local responses for coping are proposed and properly discussed for the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios through 2100.

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