Hydrodynamic and Salinity Response to Tidal Restoration in the Herring River Estuary, MA, Considering Present and Future Sea Levels
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
Coastal salt marshes are crucial ecosystems that provide habitat for a variety of species, improve water quality, and play a major role in the global carbon cycle. However, many salt marshes have been severely damaged by human activities such as diking and draining for urban development. Recently, there has been a noticeable shift toward the prioritization of coastal marsh restoration to re-establish their ecosystem services. The removal of anthropogenic barriers such as dikes, sluices, and culverts is a critical component of many projects because it allows for the restoration of tidal flow to support natural hydrologic regimes and salinity conditions, which play a dominant role in determining the ecological and biogeochemical functioning of marshes. This study examines how proposed removal of hydraulic structures will influence the hydrologic potential for marsh restoration in the Herring River Estuary in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Construction of dikes, roadways, and low-capacity culverts over the last century has substantially restricted tidal flow in the Herring River Estuary, leading to degradation of salt marsh habitat. The estuary is now undergoing the first phase of a restoration project to re-introduce natural hydrologic conditions, increase salinity, and restore salt marsh habitat. To assess how the Herring River Estuary will respond to human- and climate-driven modifications, we develop and apply a validated hydrodynamic model to simulate the complex tidal and salinity dynamics of the estuary under a range of restoration and sea level rise scenarios. We then quantify how salinity and critical hydrologic variables, including tidal range and depth of mean high water, will evolve for various restoration scenarios considering present and future sea levels. The results of this research can inform coastal management and restoration plans that re-create the natural functioning of the system while protecting critical infrastructure and reducing the risk of restoration failure.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2024
Pages: 739 - 751
History
Published online: May 16, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Chemical compounds
- Chemicals
- Chemistry
- Coastal engineering
- Coastal processes
- Coasts, oceans, ports, and waterways engineering
- Ecological restoration
- Ecosystems
- Environmental engineering
- Estuaries
- Hydrologic engineering
- Hydrology
- River engineering
- Rivers and streams
- Salt water
- Salts
- Tides
- Water (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water management
Authors
Metrics & Citations
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