Audubon Society Marsh Conservation & Restoration
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Sediment fluxes in Northeast North Carolina marsh complexes
Our team was recently announced as one of the NC Sea Grant Core Research Projects with a direct focus on sediment depositions in North Carolina salt marshes. Without a direct connection to the Atlantic Ocean or large rivers, Currituck Sound marshes are considered sediment starved and highly erosional, making them particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, Nor'easters, and sea level rise. As such, Currituck Sound represents an endmember of saltmarsh ecosystems with minimal lunar tidal influence; seabed resuspension of sediment during irregular flooding and wind events is hypothesized to be the main source of sediments sustaining the marsh platform, though this is undocumented. Overall, a paucity of data exists on sediment sources and transport pathways within Currituck Sound, particularly in northern regions and its wetlands.
The project will characterize sediment transport in central and northern marshes of Currituck Sound. This will be achieved through i) deployment of data loggers and sediment traps to record seasonal changes of water levels, salinity, and sediment accretion, and ii) acoustic surveys within marsh channels and intertidal wetland fronts to map bathymetry, current velocities, and suspended sediment concentrations. A key outcome of this project is to supply project partners, coastal community members, researchers, and resource managers with maps of sediment types, bathymetry, accretion and erosion, and submerged aquatic vegetation distribution. Data will contribute to development and augmentation of a web- accessible geospatial data tool maintained by Audubon North Carolina’s GIS team. Data will also be collated and provided for inclusion in the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership’s Vista Geospatial Database for conservation/coastal management.
We are working directly with Audubon of North Carolina and EA engineering understand the sediment movement in and out of Currituck Sound marshes. This information is helping provide baseline measurements to inform marsh restoration and conservation efforts in the sound. Stay tuned here for more updates on the project.
The project will characterize sediment transport in central and northern marshes of Currituck Sound. This will be achieved through i) deployment of data loggers and sediment traps to record seasonal changes of water levels, salinity, and sediment accretion, and ii) acoustic surveys within marsh channels and intertidal wetland fronts to map bathymetry, current velocities, and suspended sediment concentrations. A key outcome of this project is to supply project partners, coastal community members, researchers, and resource managers with maps of sediment types, bathymetry, accretion and erosion, and submerged aquatic vegetation distribution. Data will contribute to development and augmentation of a web- accessible geospatial data tool maintained by Audubon North Carolina’s GIS team. Data will also be collated and provided for inclusion in the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership’s Vista Geospatial Database for conservation/coastal management.
We are working directly with Audubon of North Carolina and EA engineering understand the sediment movement in and out of Currituck Sound marshes. This information is helping provide baseline measurements to inform marsh restoration and conservation efforts in the sound. Stay tuned here for more updates on the project.
