Collaborative Research: Impact of saltwater intrusion on C storage in tidal freshwater wetlands: Assessing the amount, age, and fate of mobilized C

海平面上升、流域降水减少以及全球水消耗量增加，导致盐水广泛侵入潮汐淡水湿地。盐水进入这些历史上的淡水生态系统可能会影响植物生产力，根系和凋落物的分解，土壤微生物群落的代谢，以及有机物质积累的速度。有机物的积累是决定潮汐淡水湿地垂直增长速度的重要因素，也是决定这些湿地是否能够“跟上”海平面上升的重要因素。该项目的总体目标是了解盐水入侵将如何影响潮汐淡水湿地中有机碳的命运。将研究弗吉尼亚州和南卡罗来纳州的几个潮汐淡水湿地，这些湿地涵盖了一系列土壤类型、植物群落和对盐水入侵的潜在反应。沿海沼泽提供了许多重要的生态系统产品和服务，包括水质改善、洪水缓冲以及经济和生态上重要的动植物栖息地。随着海平面上升，了解淡水潮汐湿地是否以及如何通过增加土壤体积来跟上步伐至关重要。这项研究将使我们能够了解并应对气候变化对潮汐淡水湿地的影响。

Rising sea levels, reduced precipitation in watersheds, and global increases in water consumption are resulting in widespread saltwater intrusion into tidal freshwater wetlands. The movement of saline water into these historically freshwater ecosystems is likely to impact plant productivity, the decomposition of roots and litter, the metabolism of soil microbial communities, and, as a result, the rate of organic matter accumulation. Organic matter accumulation is an important factor determining the rate of vertical accretion in tidal freshwater wetlands, and whether these wetlands will be able to "keep up" with rising sea levels. The overall goal of this project is to understand how saltwater intrusion will impact the fate of organic carbon in tidal freshwater wetlands. Several tidal freshwater wetlands in Virginia and South Carolina that cover a range of soil types, plant communities, and potential responses to saltwater intrusion will be studied.Coastal marshes supply a number of important ecosystem goods and services, including water quality improvement, floodwater buffering, and habitat for economically and ecologically important plants and animals. As sea level rises, it is critical to understand whether and how freshwater tidal wetlands will be able to keep pace by building soil volume. This research will allow us to understand and perhaps respond to the effects of climate change on tidal freshwater wetlands.