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The restriction of the tidal flow to a salt marsh located in Guilford, CT, caused the development of increased nutrient levels and lowered alkalinity in the sediment and led to the development of severe acidification once water was reintroduced to the sediment layer. The increased acidity level also resulted in the mobilization of metals such as lead, copper and cadmium.

To thrive in a time of rapid sea-level rise, tidal marshes will need to migrate upslope into adjacent uplands. Yet little is known about the mechanics of this process, especially in urbanized estuaries, where the adjacent upland is likely to be a mowed lawn rather than a wooded natural area. We studied marsh migration in a Long Island Sound salt marsh using detailed hydrologic, edaphic, and biotic sampling along marsh-to-upland transects in both wooded and lawn environments. We found that the overall pace of marsh development was largely unaffected by whether the upland being invaded was lawn or wooded, but the marsh-edge plant communities that developed in these two environments were quite different, and some indicators (soil salinity, foraminifera) appeared to migrate more easily into lawns. In addition, we found that different aspects of marsh structure and function migrated at different rates: Wetland vegetation appeared to be a leading indicator of marsh migration, while soil characteristics such as redox potential and surface salinity developed later in the process. We defined a 'hydrologic migration zone', consisting of elevations that experience tidal inundation with frequencies ranging from 20% to 0.5% of high tides. This hydrologically defined zone - which extended to an elevation higher than the highest astronomical tide datum - captured the biotic and edaphic marsh-upland ecotone. Tidal inundation at the upper border of this migration zone is highly variable over time and may be rising more rapidly than mean sea level. Our results indicate that land management practices at the upland periphery of tidal marshes can facilitate or impede ecosystem migration in response to rising sea level. These findings are applicable to large areas of tidal marsh along the U.S. Atlantic coast and in other urbanized coastal settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many salt marshes in densely populated areas have been subjected to a reduction in tidal flow. In order to assess the impact of tidal flow restriction on marsh sedimentation processes, sediment cores were collected from flow-restricted salt marshes along the Connecticut coast of Long Island Sound. Cores were also collected from unrestricted reference marshes and from a marsh that had been previously restrictedbut was restored to fuller tidal flushing in the 1970's. High bulk densities and low C and N concentrations were found at depth in the restricted marsh cores, which we attribute to a period of organic matter oxidation, sediment compaction, and marsh surface subsidence upon installation of flow restrictions (between 100 and 200 years before the present, depending on the marsh). Recent sedimentation rates at therestricted marshes (as determined by 137Cs and 210Pb dating) were positive and averaged 78% (137Cs) and 50% (210Pb) of reference marsh sedimentation rates. The accumulation of inorganic sediment was similar at the restricted and reference marshes, perhaps because of the seasonal operation of the tide gates, while organic sediment accretion (and pore space) was significantly lower in the restricted marshes, perhaps because of higher decomposition rates. Sedimentation rates at the restored marsh were significantly higher than at the reference marshes. This marsh has responded to the higher water levels resulting from restoration by a rapidincrease in marsh surface elevation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]