Thesis advisor: Noah Snyder / Salt marshes are an essential ecosystem for connecting nutrients between coastal and land environments, protecting shorelines from erosion, and providing habitat for various species. Anthropogenic climate change causing sea level rise poses threats to salt marshes and the coastal communities nearby. In southern New Jersey, the relative rate of sea level rise (4.21 ± 0.15 mm/yr from 1911-2022; SLR; NOAA, 2023) is greater than the global average (3.4 ± 0.04 mm/yr). In this study, I measure chronologies, bulk density and organic content (loss on ignition, LOI) from cores collected in 2021-22 at four locations in the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab (SMIIL) in Stone Harbor, New Jersey to determine multidecadal accretion rates. Chronologies are developed from a radionuclide dating analysis (using concentrations of 210Pb, 241Am, 137Cs and 7Be) following procedures similar to Boyd et al. (2017) and Landis et al. (2016). The accretion rates from 1911-2022 of the four cores analyzed are 4.3 ± 0.2 mm/year, 4.1 ± 0.1 mm/year, 5.2 ± 0.1 mm/yr, and 6.0 ± 0.2 mm/yr, respectively, which are similar to the local SLR rate and are within error of RSLR in Atlantic City. The mean LOI for the 4 four cores is 27.2 ± 19.0%, 21.3 ± 8.9%, 20.2 ± 7.5% and 14.2 ± 13.0%. The mean dry bulk density for the 4 cores is 437 ± 127 kg/m3, 380 ± 103 kg/m3, 415 ± 88 kg/m3, 657 ± 353 kg/m3. The higher accretion rates of the salt marshes in SMIIL compared to relative sea level rise and consistency with the Sadler Effect indicates that the salt marsh vertical accretion rate is keeping up with increases in sea level rise. Thus, the salt marshes are not in immediate risk for inundation from sea level rise and supports the adaptability and resiliency of the salt marsh ecosystem. / Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Morrissey School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Photocopy of the original. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 130-157).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-194).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 97-111).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

The Chandeleur Islands (Louisiana) contain nursery habitats for lemon sharks that provide abundant prey and protection from predation. Other local shark species (Atlantic sharpnose, bull, and blacktip sharks) co-occur with lemon sharks in the same region, including the nearby Biloxi Marshes. To better assess how lemon sharks use these nursery habitats, I measured diet and prey availability of young of the year and juvenile lemon sharks from 2009 to 2010. Young lemon sharks at the Chandeleur Islands have a relatively reduced diet breadth in comparison to those from nurseries in Bimini (Bahamas) and the Florida Keys. At the Chandeleur Islands, young lemon sharks appear to be opportunistically feeding on the most abundant prey items, resulting in high prey abundance and low diversity in their diet. Opportunistic feeding by young lemon sharks suggests minimal dietary overlap with other local shark species, resulting in minimal competition for resources.

No description available.

This experiment manipulated water levels in boreal marshes within the Saskatchewan River Delta, a 9500 km2 region in northern Canada. Water levels in three wetland cells were lowered in a partial drawdown by a mean of 0.32 m. Water clarity, nutrient concentrations, and periphyton nutrient limitation were measured over the summer preceding and the summer following manipulation. The water levels of three adjacent control wetlands were not manipulated. Lowering wetland water levels reduced the wind velocity necessary to resuspend bottom sediments, which led to increases in turbidity, dissolved organic carbon, and concentrations of organic and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus. Prior to drawdown, wetland periphyton communities were limited by nitrogen or co-limited by nitrogen and phosphorus. The input of nutrients from the sediment resulted in a shift from nutrient deficiency to nutrient sufficiency. Periphyton and phytoplankton production increased in response to the nutrient input. Increased turbidity, nutrient concentrations, and algal production were correlated with depth, rather than being inherent to the drawdown condition. Other water level manipulation studies have found that a reflood after a period of total drawdown caused a pulse of nutrients leaching from decomposing litter. This work suggests that these changes may not require complete drying out of sediments, or the input of large amounts of litter from drowned annual mudflat species, but rather can occur when depths are shallow enough that sediments are more frequently resuspended by wind. These findings have implications for future management of these marshes for waterfowl and muskrat production.

Salt marshes are one of the most difficult environments to remediate due to their sensitive and important ecosystems. Traditional cleanup methods can do more harm to the marsh than the oil itself. Bioremediation is the preferred cleanup approach for these delicate environments. Typically bioremediation has been carried out by the addition of nutrients but the results have been inconsistent. Previous laboratory studies conducted in oiled seawater demonstrated that clay minerals enhanced microbial growth and hence oil degradation. However, this had not been tested at field sites or on oiled marine sediments where oil is known to persist. The main objectives of this research were to test clay minerals as a bioremediation alternative for enhancing degradation of oiled salt marsh sediments and evaluate the geochemistry of sediment profiles for heavy metal enrichment. Laboratory experiments were carried out to evaluate the application of montmorillonite or kaolinite clay minerals on salt marsh sediments impacted by diesel oil. Oil biodegradation in control experiments was significantly more successful than in clay amended experiments. Clay minerals may have caused an increase in pH which inhibited enzyme-catalyzed processes required for metabolism. Field experiments were carried out in control and clay treatment plots in Louisiana salt marshes impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In this research it was demonstrated for the first time that biodegradation of n-alkanes and PAHs was significantly enhanced by the addition of montmorillonite compared to controls. Vegetated treatment plots were slightly more effective than non-vegetative treatment areas. It is suggested that bivalent cations adsorbed to montmroillonite’s surface suppressed the diffuse double layer. This allowed the oil along the clay’s surface to be accessible to the bacteria where oil could be readily consumed. Clay minerals may serve as a new and unique bioremediation strategy for oiled salt marsh sediments. Geochemical sediment profiles from Louisiana salt marshes showed elevated concentrations of selected heavy metals (Zn > Cu > Pb > V > Cr > Fe > Ni). The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a likely source of metal enrichment as many of these same metals are also constituents of the Deepwater Horizon oil.