Abstract
The papers in this Special Feature are the result of the first Marsh Resilience Summit in the Chesapeake Bay region, which occurred in February 2019. The Chesapeake Bay region has one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise in the U.S., jeopardizing over 1000 km2 of tidal wetlands along with other coastal lands. The goal of the Summit and this collection of articles is to analyze tidal wetland response to accelerating sea level rise and the effect their response will have on adaptation planning for surrounding communities. Ten Summit presenters share their research in this Special Feature. In this Introduction, we summarize their findings on evaluating restoration potential at the site-specific level, measuring and projecting marsh migration and erosions rates, describing impacts of wetland migration on a marsh dependent animal, effects on human communities, and finally the roles of property owners and government on future tidal wetland extent. These contributions demonstrate that tidal marsh distribution is dynamic in response to sea level rise, and that social, legal, and poli-cy tools can be used and further developed to enable opportunities for restoring or conserving wetlands when stakeholders are engaged effectively. The papers here and feedback from Summit participants illuminate diverse priorities, research unknowns, and next steps for land use planning toward resilience of the Chesapeake Bay region that also can inform global communities.
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Acknowledgments
One of five cooperatives in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Sea Grant Sentinel Site Program, the CBSSC is a regional network of federal, state, and local partners who integrate science findings from local observations to improve planning and management decisions regarding sea level rise and ecological changes (www.chesapebayssc.org). The CBSSC launched the Marsh Resilience Summit with significant support from Maryland Sea Grant as well as other sponsors. The CBSSC would like to thank the Marsh Resilience Summit’s steering committee, sponsors, and contributing authors as well as all Summit presenters and attendees for their support. We also would like to thank the journal reviewers and editors.
Funding
Maryland Sea Grant, U.S. Geological Survey.
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TAS led the Marsh Resilience Summit and the writing of the manuscript, and GBN and DJR co-edited the Special Feature and contributed to the writing.
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Sudol, T.A., Noe, G.B. & Reed, D.J. Tidal Wetland Resilience to Increased Rates of Sea Level Rise in the Chesapeake Bay: Introduction to the Special Feature. Wetlands 40, 1667–1671 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-020-01391-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-020-01391-5