Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Chesapeake Watershed CESU

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The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in ¿Marsh migration into rapidly retreating coastal forests¿. Saltwater intrusion is converting terrestrial land to tidal wetlands along the United States coastal plain. This sea-level driven land conversion results in deleterious impacts to the Nation¿s natural resources in the terrestrial portion of the coastal environments (e.g. forest mortality, abandoned farmland), but also represents a primary mechanism by which tidal wetlands and their ecosystem services may survive sea level rise. Research Scientists at PWRC have a wealth of knowledge and data specific to an ongoing modeling study of tidal saline wetland response to sea level rise. The research in this opportunity will advance our understanding of the response of tidal saline wetlands to sea level rise through the use of empirical field data and modelling. The goal of this collaborative research is to increase our understanding of sea-level and storm driven land conversion through a) spatially resolved predictions of marsh migration, b) manipulative experiments, and c) numerical model development and testing. These activities strengthen USGS research on coastal vulnerability, tidal wetland evolution, and Chesapeake Bay ecosystems.

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