Changes of salt dynamics and distribution in coastal marshes

该项目旨在确定和量化沿海盐沼盐分运输和分配的主要机制。结合现场测量、实验室实验和数值模拟，拟议的研究将解决长期存在的问题，即沼泽土壤中积累的过量盐分，这给沼泽植物带来了巨大的压力。该项目将研究盐度的时间和空间变化如何导致大的密度梯度，从而可能引发不稳定的孔隙水流动和溶质迁移。研究结果将加深我们对湿地水文学与生态之间基本联系的认识，为评价不同胁迫条件下的湿地生态系统提供科学依据。

This project aims to determine and quantify key mechanisms underlying salt transport and distribution in coastal salt marshes. Combining field measurements, laboratory experiments and numerical simulations, the proposed research will tackle long-standing questions concerning accumulation of excessive salt in the marsh soil, which imposes significant stress on marsh plants. This project will examine how temporal and spatial salinity variations lead to large density gradients that may trigger unstable pore-water flow and solute transport. The outcomes will advance our understanding of fundamental links between the marsh hydrology and ecology, and improve our scientific basis for evaluating the marsh ecosystem under different stress conditions.