The Ecogeomorphology of Tidal Marshes

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Coastal and Estuarine Studies Series.Salt marshes are coastal wetlands frequently inundated by tides. Given their peculiar characteristics, salt marshes are colonized by salt-tolerant communities of plants (halophytes) adapted to saturated soil conditions. Vegetation has an important role not only in marsh ecology, but also for the hydrology and geomorphology of these environments. For example, the feedback between marsh elevation and vegetation is fundamental for the survival of salt marshes, particularly when endangered by climate change and sea-level rise. On the other hand, the morphology of salt marshes and the processes that form this peculiar landscape have a strong impact on the ecosystem's function and structure.Content: Chapter 1 Introduction: the Coupled Evolution of Geomorphological and Ecosystem Structures in Salt Marshes (pages 1–4): S. Fagherazzi, M. Marani and L. K. BlumChapter 2 Salt?Marsh Vegetation and Morphology: Basic Physiology, Modelling and Remote Sensing Observations (pages 5–25): Sonia Silvestri and Marco MaraniChapter 3 Remote Sensing of Tidal Networks and Their Relation to Vegetation (pages 27–46): D.C. Mason and T. R. ScottChapter 4 Belowground Production and Decomposition Along a Tidal Gradient in a Virginia Salt Marsh (pages 47–73): Linda K. Blum and Robert R. ChristianChapter 5 Tidal Networks: form and Function (pages 75–91): Andrea Rinaldo, Enrica Belluco, Andrea D'Alpaos, Alessandra Feola, Stefano Lanzoni and Marco MaraniChapter 6 Effects of Low Tide Rainfall on Intertidal Zone Material Cycling (pages 93–114): Raymond Torres, Miguel A. Goni,, George Voulgaris, Charles R. Lovell and James T. MorrisChapter 7 Salt Marsh Microbial Ecology: Microbes, Benthic Mats and Sediment Movement (pages 115–136): Rebecca J. Aspden, Suzanne Vardy and David M. PatersonChapter 8 Vegetated Flow Dynamics (pages 137–163): H. M. NepfChapter 9 Flow, Sedimentation, and Biomass Production on a Vegetated Salt Marsh in South Carolina: Toward a Predictive Model of Marsh Morphologic and Ecologic Evolution (pages 165–188): Simon Marius Mudd, Sergio Fagherazzi, James T. Morris and David Jon FurbishChapter 10 Geologic History and the Ergodic Principle: Foundations for Long?Term Ecological Research in Salt Marshes (pages 189–201): Leonard Robert GardnerChapter 11 Responses of Salt Marshes to Disturbance in an Ecogeomorphological Context, with a Case Study of Trampling by Deer (pages 203–230): M. A. Keusenkothen and R. R. ChristianChapter 12 Dynamics of Tidal Salt Barren Formation and the Record Of Present?Day Sea Level Change (pages 231–245): Yuch Ping HsiehChapter 13 Ecogeomorphology of Spartina Patens?dominated tidal marshes: Soil organic matter accumulation, marsh elevation dynamics, and disturbance (pages 247–266): Donald R. Cahoon, Mark A. Ford and Philippe F. Hensel