Sea level rise on estuarine slope,

sediment particle size and wave

exposure. How they affect benthic

invertebrates?

LIMARIE J. REYES TORRES

CIAM 6117

LORETTA ROBERSON, PH.D.

UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO RIO PIEDRAS CAMPUS

http://www2.southeastern.edu/orgs/oilspill/images/marsh_salinity.jpg

Why protect them?

Transitional zones that encompass a wide variety of environments.

Ecologically

Are among the most productive natural environments in the world.

Sustain organisms in many of their life stages, serve as migration routes, and are havens for threatened and endangered species.

Associated wetlands filter pollutants, dissipate floodwaters, and prevent land erosion.

Economically

Support major fisheries, shipping, and tourism.

Ohrel, R. L., & Register Kathleen M. (2006).

http://marlimillerphoto.com/images/Dep-59.jpg

Source: http://ian.umces.edu/loicz/estuaries.png

Sea level rise a serious problem for

estuaries Global warming is likely to cause the

present rate of sea level rise to

increase, posing additional concerns

for coastal and estuarine environments.

Among the serious issues relating to

climate change are:

Increased flood risks

Threats to the maintenance of coastal

hard defenses

Coastal squeeze

Fujii, T. (2012).

Physical factors on benthic invertebrate assemblages

Understanding the impacts of the physical constraints imposed by sea level rise on benthic assemblages is important for evaluating and managing threats to future ecosystem service provision.

Changes in these physical estuary characteristics are likely to have an impact on:

benthic invertebrate biomass

benthic invertebrate body size distribution

ecosystem processes

The nature of these impacts is likely to be determined by the interactions among the physical constraints of:

particle size

beach slope

wave exposure

Yamanaka T, Raffaelli D, White PCL (2013).

http://ecologybehavior.weebly.com/uploads/8/7/2/6/8726686/3804058.gif?398

Benthic macrofauna and meiofauna

Macrofauna Invertebrates that live on or in sediment, or attached

to hard substrates

move freely through sediments

change the structure and chemistry of the microenvironment by burrowing activity

1 mm or bigger

Ex. Annelid worms, bivalves, gastropods, crustaceans, amphipods

(Virginia Institute of Marine Science)

Meiofauna Multi cellular organisms

Live interstitially among sediment particles

Entirely aquatic

Smaller than 1 mm

(International association of meiobenthologists)

http://www.swt.org.za/images/macrofauna.jpg

Ciliata Nematoda Turbellaria

http://www.marbef.org/projects/Manuela/photo_gallery.php?album=18

The intertidal zone

of an estuary Exposed to the air at low tide and

submerged at high tide.

Drastic changes in

Water level

Salinity

Temperatures

Organisms in the intertidal zone are

adapted to harsh extremes.

Different types of habitats,

including steep rocky cliffs, sandy shores or vast mudflats.

Ocean and Coastal Resource Management -NOAA (2008).

http://www.nzdl.org/gsdl/collect/envl/archives/HASH0192.dir/p045.gif

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Depending on sediment grain size

Distribution along shoreline is primarily due to relative strength of

prevailing water currents

Mixed sand-mud flats can occur between the two systems but this

zonation may be modified by the presence of tidal creeks and sediment flux (Dineen, J. 2015).

Intertidal zones: Mudflats and sandy beaches

https://sites.google.com/site/wvugeol616advancedsed/_/rsrc/142893223

5884/home/tidal-systems/tidal%20facies.JPG

Low wave exposure (low energy)

Flatter (gentle) slopes

Finer sediment particle size

Higher stability

Poorly sorted sediments

Fine muds and silts

provide a large surface area for the accumulation of organic matter and microbial processes

Anoxic areas below the surface because of higher oxygen uptake

Macrofauna

High number of species (high species richness)

High abundance

High biomass

High oxygen consumption

E.g. deposit and filter feeding taxa

Mud flats

Fujii, T. (2012); Yamanaka T, Raffaelli D, White PCL (2013).

http://www.jochemnet.de/fiu/Mudflat_Comm.gif

http://www.holland.com/upload_mm/a/5/2/14466_fullimage_wadden_wadlopen_closeup_560x350_tcm422-138051_560x350.jpg

Estuarine sandy shores

High wave exposure (high energy)

Steeper slopes

Coarser sediment particle size

Lower stability

Macrofauna

Low abundance

Low biomass- low productivity

Low oxygen consumption

Fujii, T. (2012); Yamanaka T, Raffaelli D, White PCL (2013).

http://footage.framepool.com/shotimg/qf/792292702-cape-bianco-

estuary-steep-coast-sicily.jpg

Estuarine intertidal macrobenthic biomass and

key environmental factor

Fujii, T. (2012).

Slope, particle size and wave exposure

on Meiofauanal abundance

Yamanaka T, Raffaelli D, White PCL (2013).

Implications for Estuarine Physical Elements

Fujii, T. (2012).

Conclusion

Abundance, biomass and oxygen consumption of intertidal macrofauna

and meiofauna are affected significantly by interactions among:

sediment particle size

beach slope

wave exposure

This interaction is probably as important, if not more so, for predicting

changes in beach fauna than the effect of any single physical factor.

If beach physical factors change as predicted, then sea-level rise will make

estuarine intertidal areas less diverse and less productive, through declines

in abundance, biomass, and community metabolism as well as through the

loss of area due to coastal squeeze.

Sea-level rise is likely to lead to changes in ecosystem structure with

generally negative impacts on ecosystem functions and ecosystem

services.

Yamanaka T, Raffaelli D, White PCL (2013).

Discussion

Is it possible to minimize, stop or reverse the harms we have caused on

estuaries? How?

What can you do as an individual to address this issue?

Should management decisions regarding estuaries have more of an ecological

or economical approach? Why?

From an economic viewpoint, why should we care about estuaries?

To what extent should economic activity dictate the outcome of estuaries?

References

(2011). Programa del Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan. http://estuario.org/

Dineen, J. (2015). Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Tidal_Flats.htm

Fujii, T. (2012). Climate Change, Sea-Level Rise and Implications for Coastal and Estuarine Shoreline Management with Particular Reference to the Ecology of Intertidal Benthic Macrofauna in NW Europe. Biology 1, 597-616.

Ohrel, R. L., & Register Kathleen M. (2006). Volunteer Estuary Monitoring A Methods Manual. EPA and Ocean Conservancy.

Shallow Water Communities – Macrofauna. Virginia Institute of Marine Science. http://web.vims.edu/bio/shallowwater/benthic_community/macrofauna.html

Yamanaka T, Raffaelli D, White PCL (2013). Non-Linear Interactions Determine the Impact of Sea-Level Rise on Estuarine Benthic Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68160.

http://ian.umces.edu/loicz/estuaries.png

http://www.meiofauna.org/phyla34.html

http://www.theonlinefisherman.com/images/00_reel_news/2014/11/17/kill-1.jpg

http://www.umces.edu/sites/default/files/images/ian_bioscience_seagrass.jpg

http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101fa10/clcupp/compaction.html

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