Using Advanced Technology to Quantify the Effect of Sea Level Rise on Salt Marshes

Salt marshes are an ecologically valuable coastal habitat under threat from sea-level rise (SLR) imposed by anthropogenic climate change. In recent years, field researchers report finding shallow inundated pools forming on the high salt marshes in New England, causing Spartina patensdie-back. These die-off pools could be evidence of increased rates of rapid SLR altering the process of high marsh accommodation to sea level, which is well understood under previously slower rates of rapid SLR. However, die-off pool extent and distribution, as well as marsh variables contributing to their formation, are not well documented given how recently they have developed. This thesis explores these variables through a spatial analysis conducted with QGIS on imagery collected and classified via algorithm by the UAS salt marsh research group at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Raster analyses reveal relationships between bare ground formation and elevation relative to sea level, providing an avenue to validate the probability of inundation in the classification algorithm. This research has important implications for marsh conservation as successful restoration plans rely on updated and accurate information detailing the current state of a marsh. These results also provide an avenue for future research into the factors influencing die-off pool formation, ultimately allowing conservationists to better address this recent development in the impact of SLR on salt marshes. Here, I present the results of an analysis conducted on the Red River marsh in Harwich and Chatham, Massachusetts, to delineate the extent of die-off pools and identify correlative variables.