Thesis (M.R.P.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1977. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-137).

Thesis advisor: Gail Kineke / Thesis advisor: Noah Snyder / Salt marshes are some of the world’s richest ecosystems and provide a plethora of benefits to coastlines and bays in terms of storm protection and chemistry. To ensure salt marsh survival under increasing rates of sea level rise, management practices have been trending towards natural sustainability measures to increase marsh resilience. To benefit these efforts, it is necessary to understand how natural salt marshes respond to environmental change in terms of sediment deposition and evolution of vegetation and open water. This study uses aerial image digitization to understand how Nauset Marsh in Cape Cod MA, a protected salt marsh on Cape Cod National Seashore, has responded to sea level rise and half a century of inlet migration. Digitized images from 1974-2019 were used to track changes to vegetation extent and open water features during study periods of different inlet migration stages. Observed changes were used to ascertain trends of marsh loss or adaptation based on previous research on ponding cycles and vegetation extent. Results indicate that Nauset Marsh has been relatively stable over the last half century, with the most significant change observed in Vegetated Marsh loss of 6.71% ± 3.19 primarily due to edge erosion near the present-day inlet. Despite net feature stability, significant differences in feature evolution trends were observed during different stages of inlet migration. Most notably, inlet breaching and migration correlated with dynamic feature changes throughout the marsh, while the static inlet period correlated with expansion of open water features near the inlet location. The evolution of Nauset Marsh suggests that inlet migration improves marsh resilience through periodic increases in sediment deposition in a natural salt marsh with sufficient sediment supply. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Due to the global loss of tidal marsh area, potential anthropogenic and natural disturbances to these systems, and coastal marshes’ affinity for trapping environmental pollutants, understanding how marsh birds inhabiting these ecosystems will adapt to these changes is paramount. To quantify future changes, I first needed to have something to compare against – baseline estimates. To this end, I performed distance sampling line transect surveys during the nonbreeding season to estimate species-specific population abundance, density, and habitat associations and captured two species of marsh bird, Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans) and Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima), to estimate baseline ingestion of one such environmental pollutant – microplastics. By providing the first baseline population and density estimates for numerous nonbreeding marsh birds, my findings suggest that the tidal marshes of Mississippi provide critical habitat for many of these species. Additionally, I was able to document the first evidence of microplastic ingestion by resident tidal marsh birds.

No description available.

Louisiana’s coastal wetlands support millions of resident and migratory birds annually but account for 80% of the nation’s coastal wetland loss. Marsh terracing is a restoration technique that constructs segmented ridges in open water areas to enhance marsh conditions. Despite widespread use, their value as avian habitat has received limited study. Using ground and aerial surveys, we evaluated avian use of marsh terraces across 24 paired sites (marsh terrace and non-terrace sites) in coastal Louisiana. Avian surveys focused on breeding secretive marsh birds (SMB) and wintering waterfowl. Results indicate that presence or absence of marsh terraces influenced numbers of ducks detected, though relative abundance varied spatially and temporally. The effect on SMB abundance varied by species and environmental variables, including habitat structure and water availability. The study highlights the complexity of bird responses to marsh terracing, emphasizing the importance of considering species-specific habitat preferences and environmental factors in restoration planning.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1982. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves 145-165.

This study explores the agrarian economy of Romney Marsh and its hinterland, c. 1730-90. It offers a fresh contribution to current knowledge in respect of landlord-tenant relations, landholding structures and farming practice. Some 60 years are covered, framed within a wider context embracing two distinct and contrasting economic phases that characterized the long eighteenth century. Special reference to the Knatchbull family affords in-depth insight into an eighteenth century Kentish landed estate, whose interests lay on the marsh and its hinterland. There is an appraisal of the character and values of Sir Wyndham Knatchbull in his official and unofficial roles at the head of the community. Aspects of the Home Farm economy of Mersham Hatch are explored. Particular attention is paid to landlord-tenant relations, and the multi-dimensional nature of negotiations for substantial holdings on Walland Marsh. The impact of a windfall inheritance is seen when, from 1763, the seventh baronet succeeded to the estate. Using early Land Tax evidence for the region, there is a comprehensive analysis of landownership and land occupation structures, c. 1746-90. An unusually large area is covered, for an exceptionally early period, adding substantially to current knowledge. Marsh tax evidence discloses landownership and land occupation structures on Walland/Denge, 1738-91. Used in tandem with the tax listings, the wider interests of ‘dual-regional’ farmers are more fully appreciated, and for whom knowledge has hitherto been confined to their operations on the marsh. These findings, together with the investigation of previously unexplored aspects of farming practice, offer fresh insight into the symbiotic relationship between the marsh and its hinterland. The influence of ties of social obligation and market-led considerations on landlord-tenant relations are recurring themes. On the marsh, tenant initiative and market demand are seen as the main driving forces that re-shaped patterns of landholding over the period.

No description available.

No description available.