DOE OSTI · 2538159
The hidden influence of terrestrial groundwater on salt marsh function and resilience
Abstract
Salt marshes are hotspots of nutrient processing and carbon sequestration. So far, studies addressing spatiotemporal variability in and drivers of salt marsh biogeochemical function, carbon storage and resilience have focused on ocean-driven surface hydrologic influences, neglecting effects of terrestrial hydrology through subsurface connections. Here we evaluate drivers of salt marsh redox potential, a proxy for biogeochemical state, through wavelet analyses and information theory using data from seven marshes. The results point to terrestrial groundwater level as a dominant control on redox variability across all sites. Because redox is a key driver of biogeochemical processes, and specifically oxidation of organic matter that sequesters carbon and maintains marsh elevation, these terrestrial influences are critical to understanding marsh function and evolution. Further, the newly identified links between onshore groundwater levels and marsh redox conditions shift the traditional paradigm and suggest that terrestrial hydrology is a primary control on salt marsh carbon sequestration potential and resilience.
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Guimond, Julia A. [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000207124378), Grande, Emilio [California State Univ., East Bay, Hayward, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000339950380), Michael, Holly A. [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)] (ORCID:0000000311077698), Pratt, Dannielle [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)] (ORCID:0000000267966227), Herndon, Elizabeth [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000291945493), Noyce, Genevieve L. [Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000304236478), Ward, Nicholas D. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000161745581), Forbrich, Inke [Univ. of Toledo, OH (United States); Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA (United States)], Regier, Peter [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sequim, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000283751314), Berens, Matthew J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000242281133), Arora, Bhavna [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)]. 2025-02-03. The hidden influence of terrestrial groundwater on salt marsh function and resilience. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-024-00384-6
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