Type
Text
Type
Thesis
Advisor
Lee, Cindy | Cochran, J. Kirk | Aller, Robert.
Date
2015-05-01
Keywords
Long Island, Marsh, salt, sea, sulfide | Biogeochemistry
Department
Department of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77779
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
Long Island salt marshes have been disappearing in the last several decades. This loss of marshes is likely multifactorial but several stressors have been identified as main contributors. This study focuses on two of those contributors: high pore water sulfide concentrations in salt marsh sediments and increasing rates of sea level rise. There is a clear correlation between high concentrations of sulfide and salt marsh loss. At the same time, these stressed marshes are being subjected to exponentially increasing rates of sea level rise, preventing the marshes from accreting fast enough. Seven salt marshes have been studied in this work: four on the north shore of Long Island and three in the Peconic Bay area (east of Long Island). Pore water sulfide, ammonium, and phosphate concentrations have been measured. 210Pb data has been collected from sediment cores for the measurement of accretion chronologies and compared with known rates of average sea level rise since the beginning of the 20th century. Solid phase data has also been collected allowing the determination of the degree of pyritization of the marshes studied. The higher the degree of pyritization, the lower the capability of salt marshes to sequester sulfide and reduce its concentration in the pore water. Aerial data has also been included in this work as a comparison of salt marsh loss through the years. Results show that most of the marshes studied exhibit very high levels of pore water sulfide in addition to barely keeping pace with rates of sea level rise or not keeping pace at all. These results are in agreement with the aerial data observed and call for action to stop the disappearance of these important ecosystems. | 56 pages
Recommended Citation
Perez Tuero, Jorge Angel, "Biogeochemical and dynamical constraints on salt marsh health on Long Island" (2015). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 3557.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/3557