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Coastal Squeeze of Tidal Marshes
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Transcript of Coastal Squeeze of Tidal Marshes
Coastal Squeeze of Tidal Marshes
Climate change is causing sea levels to rise
Sea level (c
m)
Published studies of sea level rise
How will rising sea levels affect salt marshes?
Image sources: http://www.landscapeinstitute.org/casestudies/casestudy.php?id=73
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/climate-change/australias-coasts-and-climate-change/understanding-the-risk/natural-environments/fs-risks-to-coastal-
environment.aspx;
What is coastal squeeze?
Do marshes have sufficient expansion in the upland?
What will happen to salt marshes under coastal squeeze?
Analysis of remotely sensed data
Digital Elevation Model Multispectral Imagery
Slope Imperviousness
Eureka! Models for measuring coastal squeeze
1
2
3
Salt marshes may move into steep slopes and developed lands
Salt marsh edge expansion into steep slopes (A) and
developed lands (B)
The threat of coastal squeeze increased with sea level rise
0.5 m 1 m
1.5 m 2 m 2.5 m
% C
oas
tal S
qu
eez
e
(in
cre
asin
g th
reat
)
0-20
20-40
40-60
60-80
80-100
Salt marsh area under coastal squeeze decreased
0.5 1 1.5 2.0
Year 2100 sea levels (in meters)
Projected distribution of salt marsh areas
Conclusion
Models to measure coastal squeeze were developed
and tested
The threat of coastal squeeze increases with sea
level rise
Seaward marsh edges are most susceptible to
drowning from coastal squeeze
Moving development away from the tidal floodplain
or designing ecological land use are some of the
ways to protect tidal wetlands from coastal squeeze