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Frederiks RS, Paldor A, Donati L, Carleton G, Michael HA. Drivers of barrier island water-table fluctuations and groundwater salinization. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 946:174102. [PMID: 38908572 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
Barrier islands are threatened by climate change as sea-level rise and higher frequency storm surge lead to more flooding and saltwater intrusion. Vegetation plays a vital role in preventing erosion of barrier islands due to aeolian and hydrological forces. However, vegetation on barrier islands is threatened by rising water tables causing hypoxic conditions and storm-surge overwash introducing saline water to the root zone. To better protect barrier island ecosystems, it is critical to identify the relative influence of different hydrological drivers on water table elevation and salinity, and understand how this influence varies spatially and temporally. In this study, three barrier island sites were instrumented with groundwater wells monitoring water level and specific conductance. Using these data, a set of transfer function noise models were calibrated and used to determine the relative influence of hydrologic drivers including precipitation, evapotranspiration, bay and ocean water levels, and wave height on groundwater levels and specific conductance. We found that drivers of water-level change and specific conductance vary strongly among sites, depending primarily on the surface water connectivity and the geology of the island. Sites with close connection to inlets showed more salinization and responded to a larger number of drivers, while sites that were poorly connected to the ocean responded to fewer drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S Frederiks
- University of Delaware Department of Earth Sciences, Newark, DE, USA.
| | - Anner Paldor
- University of Delaware Department of Earth Sciences, Newark, DE, USA.
| | - Lauren Donati
- University of Delaware Department of Earth Sciences, Newark, DE, USA.
| | | | - Holly A Michael
- University of Delaware Department of Earth Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Newark, DE, USA.
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2
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Robson G, Schoen E, Chan DM, Ogrosky HR, Shrestha K, Zinnert JC. Modeling the interaction of vegetation and sea level rise on barrier island evolution. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302395. [PMID: 39186539 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Barrier islands provide a first line of defense against ocean flooding and storm surge. Biogeomorphic interactions are recognized as important in coastal system processes, but current barrier island models are primarily dominated by physical processes. Recent research has demonstrated different biogeomorphic states that influence response to sea level rise and other disturbance. Building on this understanding, we present a cellular model utilizing biotic and abiotic processes and their interactions for barrier island evolution. Using the literature and field derived parameters, we model barrier island evolution and compare to three decades of change for Smith Island, a Virginia Coast Reserve barrier island. We conduct simulations that show the impact of biogeomorphic states on island migration under different sea level rise scenarios. We find that migration is highest in areas with low topography and light vegetation cover (i.e. disturbance reinforcing) compared to areas with greater topographic complexity and high cover of woody vegetation i.e. disturbance resisting). This study demonstrates the importance of biogeomorphic interactions for barrier island evolution with sea level rise and will aid future predictions for these important ecosystems with climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Robson
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Eric Schoen
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - David M Chan
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - H Reed Ogrosky
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Kiran Shrestha
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Julie C Zinnert
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
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Sabo AB, Cornish MR, Castorani MCN, Zinnert JC. Drivers of dune formation control ecosystem function and response to disturbance in a barrier island system. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11405. [PMID: 38762625 PMCID: PMC11102538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61741-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Barrier islands are landscape features that protect coastlines by reducing wave energy and erosion. Quantifying vegetation-topographic interactions between adjacent habitats are essential for predicting long-term island response and resilience to sea-level rise and disturbance. To understand the effects of dune dynamics on adjacent interior island ecosystem processes, we quantified how sediment availability and previous disturbance regime interact with vegetation to influence dune building and ease of seawater and sediment movement into the island interior on two US mid-Atlantic coast barrier islands. We conducted field surveys of sediment accretion, vegetative cover, and soil characteristics in dune and swale habitats. Digital elevation models provided assessment of water flow resistance from the mean high water mark into the island interior. We found that geographic location impacted sediment accretion rates and Panicum amarum (a species increasing in abundance over time in the Virginia barrier islands) accreted sediment at a significantly lower rate compared to other dune grasses. Dune elevation impacted the ease of seawater flow into the island interior, altering soil chlorides, annual net primary productivity, and soil carbon and nitrogen. Our work demonstrates the importance of incorporating biological processes and cross-island connectivity into future scenario modeling and predictions of rising sea-levels and increased disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander B Sabo
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Michael R Cornish
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Max C N Castorani
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Julie C Zinnert
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
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Brown JK, Moulton A, Zinnert JC. Plant community re-organization and increased productivity due to multi-year nutrient enrichment of a coastal grassland. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270798. [PMID: 35901080 PMCID: PMC9333261 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrient enrichment alters plant community structure and function at a global scale. Coastal plant systems are expected to experience increased rates of nitrogen and phosphorus deposition by 2100, caused mostly by anthropogenic activity. Despite high density of studies investigating connections between plant community structure and ecosystem function in response to nutrient addition, inconsistencies in system response based on the ecosystem in question calls for more detailed analyses of nutrient impacts on community organization and resulting productivity response. Here, we focus on nutrient addition impacts on community structure and organization as well as productivity of different lifeforms in a coastal grassland. We established long-term nutrient enrichment plots in 2015 consisting of control (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and nitrogen + phosphorus (NP) treatments. In 2017 we collected graminoid and forb productivity, root productivity, and community composition for each plot. We found no N x P interaction, but N enrichment was a significant main effect on productivity, highlighting N limitation in coastal systems. Importantly, nutrient enrichment treatments did not alter root productivity. However, all treatments caused significant differences in community composition. Using rank abundance curves, we determined that community composition differences were driven by increased dominance of nitrophilous graminoids, re-organization of subordinate species, and species absences in N and NP plots. Results of this study highlight how coastal grassland communities are impacted by nutrient enrichment. We show that community re-organization, increased dominance, and absence of critical species are all important mechanisms that reflect community-level impacts of nutrient enrichment in our coastal grassland site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph K. Brown
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Ashley Moulton
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Julie C. Zinnert
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Moncrief ND, Porter JH, Dueser RD. Annotated Checklist of Terrestrial Mammals of the Virginia Barrier Islands and the Adjacent Delmarva Peninsula Mainland. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2021. [DOI: 10.1656/045.028.0405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy D. Moncrief
- Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, VA 24112
| | - John H. Porter
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, 291 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4123
| | - Raymond D. Dueser
- Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, VA 24112
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Satellite-Derived Barrier Response and Recovery Following Natural and Anthropogenic Perturbations, Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13183779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The magnitude and frequency of storm events, relative sea-level rise (RSLR), sediment supply, and anthropogenic alterations drive the morphologic evolution of barrier island systems, although the relative importance of any one driver will vary with the spatial and temporal scales considered. To explore the relative contributions of storms and human alterations to sediment supply on decadal changes in barrier landscapes, we applied Otsu’s thresholding method to multiple satellite-derived spectral indices for coastal land-cover classification and analyzed Landsat satellite imagery to quantify changes to the northern Chandeleur Islands barrier system since 1984. This high temporal-resolution dataset shows decadal-scale land-cover oscillations related to storm–recovery cycles, suggesting that shorter and (or) less resolved time series are biased toward storm impacts and may significantly overpredict land-loss rates and the timing of barrier morphologic state changes. We demonstrate that, historically, vegetation extent and persistence were the dominant controls on alongshore-variable landscape response and recovery following storms, and are even more important than human-mediated sediment input. As a result of extensive vegetation losses over the past few decades, however, the northern Chandeleur Islands are transitioning to a new morphologic state in which the landscape is dominated by intertidal environments, indicating reduced resilience to future storms and possibly rapid transitions in morphologic state with increasing rates of RSLR.
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Zinnert JC, Nippert JB, Rudgers JA, Pennings SC, González G, Alber M, Baer SG, Blair JM, Burd A, Collins SL, Craft C, Di Iorio D, Dodds WK, Groffman PM, Herbert E, Hladik C, Li F, Litvak ME, Newsome S, O’Donnell J, Pockman WT, Schalles J, Young DR. State changes: insights from the U.S. Long Term Ecological Research Network. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Julie C. Zinnert
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 West Cary Street Richmond Virginia23284USA
| | - Jesse B. Nippert
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas66506USA
| | - Jennifer A. Rudgers
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico87131USA
| | - Steven C. Pennings
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston Houston Texas77204USA
| | - Grizelle González
- International Institute of Tropical Forestry United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Jardín Botánico Sur, 1201 Ceiba St.‐Río Piedras San Juan00926Puerto Rico
| | - Merryl Alber
- Department of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia30602USA
| | - Sara G. Baer
- Kansas Biological Survey and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas66047USA
| | - John M. Blair
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas66506USA
| | - Adrian Burd
- Department of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia30602USA
| | - Scott L. Collins
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico87131USA
| | - Christopher Craft
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs Indiana University Bloomington Indiana47405USA
| | - Daniela Di Iorio
- Department of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia30602USA
| | - Walter K. Dodds
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas66506USA
| | - Peter M. Groffman
- City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center New York New York10031USA
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Millbrook New York12545USA
| | | | - Christine Hladik
- Department of Geology and Geography Georgia Southern University Statesboro Georgia30460USA
| | - Fan Li
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston Houston Texas77204USA
| | - Marcy E. Litvak
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico87131USA
| | - Seth Newsome
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico87131USA
| | - John O’Donnell
- Department of Biology Creighton University Omaha Nebraska68178USA
| | - William T. Pockman
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico87131USA
| | - John Schalles
- Department of Biology Creighton University Omaha Nebraska68178USA
| | - Donald R. Young
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 West Cary Street Richmond Virginia23284USA
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Wood LK, Hays S, Zinnert JC. Decreased temperature variance associated with biotic composition enhances coastal shrub encroachment. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8210. [PMID: 32427910 PMCID: PMC7237465 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65161-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Regime shift from grasslands to shrub-dominated landscapes occur worldwide driven by altered land-use and climate change, affecting landscape function, biodiversity, and productivity. Warming winter temperatures are a main driver of expansion of the native, evergreen shrub, Morella cerifera, in coastal landscapes. Shrub establishment in these habitats alters microclimate, but little is known about seasonal differences and microclimate variance. We assessed influence of shrubs on microclimate variance, community composition, and community physiological functioning across three vegetation zones: grass, transitional, and shrub in a coastal grassland. Using a novel application of a time-series analysis, we interpret microclimatic variance modification and elucidate mechanisms of shrub encroachment at the Virginia Coast Reserve, Long-Term Ecological Research site. As shrub thickets form, diversity is reduced with little grass/forb cover, while transpiration and annual productivity increase. Shrub thickets significantly reduced temperature variance with a positive influence of one day on the next in maximum air, minimum air, and maximum ground temperature. We also show that microclimatic temperature moderation reduces summer extreme temperatures in transition areas, even before coalescence into full thickets. Encroachment of Morella cerifera on the Virginia barrier islands is driven by reduced local exposure to cold temperatures and enhanced by abiotic microclimatic modification and biotic physiological functioning. This shift in plant community composition from grassland to shrub thicket alters the role of barrier islands in productivity and can have impacts on the natural resilience of the islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren K Wood
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 West Cary St, Richmond, VA, 23225, USA.,Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 West Cary St, Richmond, VA, 23225, USA
| | - Spencer Hays
- Department of Statistics, Indiana University, 919 E. 10th St, Bloomington, IN, 47408, USA
| | - Julie C Zinnert
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 West Cary St, Richmond, VA, 23225, USA.
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10
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Topography and disturbance influence trait‐based composition and productivity of adjacent habitats in a coastal system. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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11
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Gaiser EE, Bell DM, Castorani MCN, Childers DL, Groffman PM, Jackson CR, Kominoski JS, Peters DPC, Pickett STA, Ripplinger J, Zinnert JC. Long-Term Ecological Research and Evolving Frameworks of Disturbance Ecology. Bioscience 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biz162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractDetecting and understanding disturbance is a challenge in ecology that has grown more critical with global environmental change and the emergence of research on social–ecological systems. We identify three areas of research need: developing a flexible framework that incorporates feedback loops between social and ecological systems, anticipating whether a disturbance will change vulnerability to other environmental drivers, and incorporating changes in system sensitivity to disturbance in the face of global changes in environmental drivers. In the present article, we review how discoveries from the US Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network have influenced theoretical paradigms in disturbance ecology, and we refine a framework for describing social–ecological disturbance that addresses these three challenges. By operationalizing this framework for seven LTER sites spanning distinct biomes, we show how disturbance can maintain or alter ecosystem state, drive spatial patterns at landscape scales, influence social–ecological interactions, and cause divergent outcomes depending on other environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn E Gaiser
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | - David M Bell
- Pacific Northwest Research Station, under the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Corvallis, Oregon
| | - Max C N Castorani
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | | | - Peter M Groffman
- City University of New York's Advanced Science Research Center, Graduate Center, New York, New York, and with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York
| | - C Rhett Jackson
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - John S Kominoski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | - Debra P C Peters
- US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service's Jornada Experimental Range and Jornada Basin LTER Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
| | | | - Julie Ripplinger
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California—Riverside, Riverside, California
| | - Julie C Zinnert
- Department of Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
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Sinclair MN, Woods NN, Zinnert JC. Seasonal facilitative and competitive trade‐offs between shrub seedlings and coastal grasses. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael N. Sinclair
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 W Cary Street Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Natasha N. Woods
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 W Cary Street Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Julie C. Zinnert
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 W Cary Street Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
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Woods NN, Dows BL, Goldstein EB, Moore LJ, Young DR, Zinnert JC. Interaction of seed dispersal and environmental filtering affects woody encroachment patterns in coastal grassland. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Natasha N. Woods
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Benjamin L. Dows
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Evan B. Goldstein
- Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro North Carolina 27412 USA
| | - Laura J. Moore
- Department of Geological Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 104 South Road, Mitchell Hall Chapel Hill North Carolina 27599 USA
| | - Donald R. Young
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Julie C. Zinnert
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
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