Abstract
Vertical accretion of impounded marsh and adjacent natural marsh at four sites in southwestern Louisiana was estimated in 1994 by determining the depth of a stratum containing137Cs deposited in 1963. With relative marsh elevation, soil bulk density, organic matter content, and organic and mineral matter accumulation rates were used to describe soil formation. Three sites were impounded in 1956 and one site in 1951. Impounded marshes had lower marsh surface elevation than natural marshes because of hydrologic isolation from tidal sediment subsidies and substrate oxidation during forced drying. The elevation of natural marshes ranged from 12 cm to 42 cm higher than the elevation of the impounded marshes in 1963 and from 20 cm to 32 cm higher in 1994. Vertical accretion between 1963 and 1994 ranged from 9 cm to 28 cm in impounded marsh and from 15 cm to 21.5 cm in natural marsh. Only in impounded marsh that remained permanently flooded was accretion greater than in natural marsh.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Literature Cited
Baumann, R. H. 1980. Mechanisms of maintaining marsh elevation in a subsiding environment. M.S. Thesis, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Baumann, R. H., J. W. Day Jr., andC. A. Miller. 1984. Mississippi deltaic wetland survival: Sedimentation versus coastal submergence.Science 224:1093–1094.
Boesch, D. F., D. Levin, D. Nummendal, and K. Bowles. 1983. Subsidence in coastal Louisiana: Causes, rates, and effects on wetlands. United States Fish and Wildlife Service FWS/OBS-83/26, Washington, D.C.
Boumans, R. M. andJ. W. Day, Jr. 1994. Effects of two Louisiana marsh management plans on water and materials flush and short-term sedimentation.Wetlands 14:247–261.
Cahoon, D. R. 1994. Recent accretion in two managed marsh impoundments in coastal Louisiana.Ecological Applications 4: 166–167.
Chabreck, R. H. 1960. Coastal marsh impoundments for ducks in Louisiana.Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners 14:24–29.
Chabreck, R. H. 1972. Vegetation, water, and soil characteristics of the Louisiana coastal region. Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 664, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Chabreck, R. H. 1988. Coastal Marshes, Ecology, and Wildlife Management. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Chabreck, R. H. 1994. Marsh management in Louisiana for production of emergent and aquatic plants. Louisiana Landowners Association Inc., Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Davies, B. E. 1974. Loss-on-ignition as an estimate of soil organic matter.Soil Science Society of America Proceedings. 38:150–151.
Day, R. H., R. K. Holz, andJ. W. Day, Jr. 1990. An inventory of wetland impoundments in the coastal zone of Louisiana, USA: Historical trends.Environmental Management 14:229–240.
DeLaune, R. D., R. H. Baumann, andJ. G. Gosselink. 1983. Relationships among vertical accretion, coastal submergence, and erosion in a Louisiana Gulf Coast marsh.Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 53:147–157.
DeLaune, R. D., J. H. Patrick, Jr., andR. J. Buresh. 1978. Sedimentation rates determined by137Cs dating in a rapidly accreting salt marsh.Nature 275:532–533.
DeLaune, R. D., J. H. Whitcomb, W. H. Patrick, Jr.,H. H. Pardue, andS. R. Pezeshki. 1989. Accretion and canal impacts in a rapidly subsiding wetland:137Cs and210Pb techniques.Estuaries 12:247–259.
Ensminger, A. B. andL. G. Nichols. 1957. Hurricane damage to Rockefeller refuge.Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Game and Fish commissioners 11:52–56.
Gosselink, J. G. 1984. The ecology of delta marshes of coastal Louisiana: A community profile. United States Fish and Wildlife Service FWS/OBS-84/09, Washington, D.C.
Gosselink, J. G., C. L. Cordes, and J. W. Parsons. 1979. An ecological characterization study of the chenier plain coastal ecosystem of Louisiana and Texas. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Narrative Report FWS/OBS-78/9, Washington, D.C.
Hatton, R. S., R. D. DeLaune, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1983. Sedimentation, accretion, and subsidence in marshes of Barataria Bay, Louisiana.Limnology and Oceanography 28:494–502.
Meeder, J. 1987. Variable effects of hurricanes on the coast and adjacent marshes: A problem for marsh managers p. 337–374.In N. V. Brodtmann (ed.), Proceedings of the Fourth Water Quality and Wetlands Management Conference. Tulane University, New Orleans.
Milan, C. S., E. M. Swenson, R. E. Turner, andJ. M. Lee. 1995. Assessment of the137Cs method for estimating sediment accumulation rates: Louisiana salt marshes.Journal of Coastal Research 11:296–307.
Mitsch, W. J. andJ. G. Gosselink. 1993. Wetlands. 2nd ed. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
Mouton, E. 1996. Summary of the construction and management of the impoundment on Marsh Island Wildlife Refuge. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, New Iberia, Louisiana.
Nyman, J. A., R. H. Chabreck, R. D. DeLaune, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1993a. Submergence, saltwater intrusion, and manged Gulf Coastmmarshes. Proceedings of Symposium on Coastal and Ocean Management, American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, 8:1690–1704.
Nyman, J. A., C. R. Crozier, andR. D. Delaune. 1995. Roles and patterns of hurricane sedimentation in an estuarine marsh landscape.Estaurine, Coastal and Shelf Science 40:665–679.
Nyman, J. A. andR. D. DeLaune. 1991. CO2 emission and soil Eh responses to different hydrological conditions in fresh, brackish, and saline marsh soils.Limnology and Oceanography 36:1406–1414.
Nyman, J. A., R. D. Delaune, H. H. Roberts, andW. H. Patrick, Jr. 1993b. Relationship between vegetation and soil formation in a rapidly submerging coastal marsh.Marine Ecology Progress Service 96:269–279.
Paille, R. 1991. Annual Narrative Report. Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Hackberry, Louisiana.
Reed, D. J. 1989. Patterns of sediment deposition in subsiding coastal marshes, Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana: The role of winter storms.Estuaries 12:222–227.
Rejmanek, M., C. E. Sasser, andG. W. Peterson. 1988. Hurricane-induced sediment deposition in a Gulf Coast marsh.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 27:217–222.
Roberts, H. H., O. K. Huh, S. A. Hsu, L. J. Rouse, andD. A. Rickman. 1989. Winter storm impacts on the chenier plain coast of southwestern Louisiana.Transactions Gulf Coast Association of the Geological Society 39:515–522.
Slusher, D. F. 1972. Characteristics and classification of soils of Louisiana coastal wetlands, p. 1–11.In K. Tipton (ed.), Proceedings of the Louisiana Association of Agronomists, Alexandria, Louisiana.
Stumpf, R. P. 1983. The process of sedimentation on the surface of a salt marsh.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 17:495–508.
Titus, J. G. 1986. Greenhouse effect, sea level rise, and coastal zone management.Journal of Coastal Zone Management 14:147–171.
Turner, R. E. and D. R. Cahoon (ed.). 1987. Causes of Wetland Loss in the Coastal Central Gulf of Mexico. Vol. 2: Technical Narrative. OCS/MMS 87-01201. Final report submitted to Minerals Management Service, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Van Gent, D. L. 1988. Rare-earth soil horizon markers to determine the short-term accretion in Louisiana marshes. Masters Thesis, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Wicker, K. M., D. J. Davis, andD. W. Roberts. 1983. Marsh management techniques employed on the Rockefeller Refuge, Louisiana, p. 67–88.In R. J. Varnell (ed.), Water Quality and Wetland Management Conference Proceedings. Tulane University, New Orleans.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bryant, J.C., Chabreck, R.H. Effects of impoundment on vertical accretion of coastal marsh. Estuaries 21, 416–422 (1998). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352840
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352840