Tide gate modulation of wetland function: decision support through engineering best practices

1702618（帕特森）。潮汐闸门是旨在保护生命和财产的阀门，但通常会对湿地产生负面影响。这项研究旨在为它们的运作制定最佳做法，以最大限度地保护人类和生态系统健康。在美国，数以千计的潮汐闸门由市政当局和保护委员会维护和运营。潮汐闸门的操作方式以相互竞争的方式影响着洪水和火灾的风险以及湿地的健康。该项目将开发新的决策支持工具，用于潮汐闸管理，使用基于EPA模型E12K的水交换、沉积物移动和污染物负荷的耦合模型，以及生态系统服务、水质、洪水和火灾风险的目标函数。通过耦合测量和建模，这项研究将使潮汐门的设计和管理远远超出先前的理解。方法包括硝酸盐的先进微生物传感器，毒素的被动污染物采样器，以及自主传感器和车辆。与马萨诸塞州的市政当局和各种利益相关者合作，将在一个有毒素暴露史的大型城市沿海沼泽地、一个用于娱乐的较小城市沼泽地和一个“原始”沼泽地中调查潮汐门的功能。潮汐闸运营商的决策支持工具将提供关于在各种情况下何时以及如何打开潮汐闸的指导性建议，以改善公共安全和关键湿地的生态系统健康。两名本科生在6个月的合作社工作，和一名研究生，将接受培训。潮闸状态、水化学、生物区系和毒素的在线可视化将在一个专门的网站上用于教育管理人员、公众和K12项目。第二至第三年的讲习班将在决策支持工具的开发过程中吸引用户群体参与。公共政策MS学生将参与顶点项目，以调查联邦，州和地方实体之间的法规重叠，以促进最佳实践的实施，而土木工程本科生将参与所需的顶点项目，并将寻找两组合作的机会。这项研究可能会提高沿海社区的可持续性，复原力和抗脆弱性，因为现有的潮汐闸门将得到更好的管理，减少火灾和洪水的风险（以及某些地点的毒素扩散），同时增加生态系统服务，如重要的鱼类栖息地和风暴

1702618 (Patterson). Tide gates are valves that are designed to protect life and property but often negatively affect wetlands. This research aims to develop best practices for their operation to maximize protection of people and ecosystem health. In the US, thousands of tide gates are maintained and operated by municipalities and conservation boards. How tide gates are operated affects risks of flooding and fire, and wetlands health, in competing ways. This project will develop new decision support tools for tide gate management using coupled models of water exchange, sediment movement and pollutant loading based on the EPA model QUAL2K, and objective functions for ecosystem services, water quality, and flood and fire risk. By coupling measurements and modeling, this research will move tide gate design and management well beyond prior understanding.Methodology includes advanced microbial sensors for nitrate, passive contaminant samplers for toxins, and autonomous sensors and vehicles. In cooperation with municipalities in Massachusetts, and a diverse range of stakeholders, tide gate function will be investigated in a large urban coastal marsh with a history of toxin exposure, a smaller urban marsh used recreationally, and a 'pristine' marsh. Decision support tools for tide gate operators will provide directed advice on when and how much to open tide gates under various scenarios, improving public safety and ecosystem health of critical wetlands. Two undergraduates working on 6 month co-ops, and a graduate student, will be trained. Online visualization of tide gate state, water chemistry, biota, and toxins at a dedicated web site will be used to educate managers, the public, and K12 programs. Workshops during years 2-3 will engage the user community during the development of the decision support tools. Public policy MS students will participate in capstone projects to investigate the overlap in regulations among federal, state and local entities to facilitate implementation of best practices, while Civil Engineering undergrads will be involved in required capstone projects and will look for opportunities for both groups to collaborate. This research potentially will increase the sustainability, resilience, and anti-fragility of coastal communities because existing tide gates will be better managed, reducing risk of fire and flooding (and toxin dispersal for some sites), while increasing ecosystem services like essential fish habitat and storm