Semeniuk, V., 1983. Mangrove distribution in Northwestern Australia in relationship to freshwater seepage. Vegetatio, 53, 11–31.
Semeniuk, V., and Wurm, P. A. S., 2000. Molluscs of the
Leschenault Inlet estuary – their diversity, distribution, and
population dynamics. Journal of the Royal Society of Western
Australia, 83, 377–418.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, T. A., and Unno, J., 2000. The
Leschenault Inlet estuary – an overview. Journal of the Royal
Society of Western Australia, 83, 207–228.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, C. A., Tauss, C., Unno, J., and Brocx, M.,
2011. Walpole and Nornalup Inlets: Landforms, Stratigraphy,
Evolution, Hydrology, Water Quality, Biota, and Geoheritage.
Perth (Monograph): Western Australian Museum. 584 p. ISBN
978-1-920843-37-3.
Simons, R. D., Monismith, S. G., Saucier, F. J., Johnson, L. E., and
Winkler, G., 2010. Modelling stratification and baroclinic flow
in the estuarine transition zone of the St. Lawrence estuary.
Atmosphere-Ocean, 48, 132–146, doi:10.3137/OC316.2010.
Valle-Levinson, A., and Wilson, R. E., 1994. Effects of sill bathymetry, oscillating barotropic forcing and vertical mixing on estuary/ocean exchange. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
(1978–2012), 99(C3), 5149–5169.
Wang, D.-P., 1979. Wind-driven circulation in the Chesapeake Bay,
winter, 1975. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 9, 564–572.
Wu, J., 1973. Wind-induced turbulent entrainment across a stable
density interface. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 61(2), 275–287.
Wurm, P. A. S., and Semeniuk, V., 2000. The Leschenault Inlet estuary – its physical features and habitats for benthic fauna. Journal
of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 83, 229–250.
Cross-references
Estuarine Circulation
Evaporation and Transpiration
Residual Circulation
Tidal Flat Salinity Gradient
Tidal Hydrodynamics
Well-Mixed Estuary
MARSH DROWNING
Judith Z. Drexler
U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center,
Sacramento, CA, USA
Synonyms
Marsh conversion to open water; Marsh submergence;
Permanent marsh inundation
Definition
Marsh drowning is the large-scale death of tidal marsh
vegetation and conversion to open water habitat due to a
loss of marsh surface elevation relative to the tidal frame.
This process can occur as a result of sea-level rise, landsurface subsidence (due to oil, gas, or groundwater withdrawal), and/or compression of deep sediments (Brinson,
2006; Reddy and DeLaune, 2008). The ability of
a marsh to keep pace with sea-level rise and land-surface
subsidence is based on the buildup or vertical accretion
of organic material and inorganic sediments through time
on the marsh surface. If the rate of vertical accretion is not
fast enough in the face of sea-level rise and/or land-surface
subsidence, a marsh slowly becomes submerged and is
eventually lost due to permanent flooding. This has been
a long-standing problem in coastal marshes in the Mississippi River deltaic plain of Louisiana, USA (Reddy and
DeLaune, 2008), but is also of increasing concern globally
due to the predicted acceleration in the rate of
sea-level rise.
Bibliography
Brinson, M., 2006. Consequences for wetlands of a changing global
environment. In Batzer, D. P., and Sharitz, R. R. (eds.), Ecology
of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands. Berkeley: University of
California Press, pp. 436–461.
Reddy, K. R., and DeLaune, R. D., 2008. Chapter 18: Coastal
wetlands: Mississippi River deltaic plain coastal marshes,
Louisiana. In Biogeochemistry of Wetlands: Science and
Applications. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 669–702.
Cross-references
Marsh Islands
Salt Marsh Accretion
Saltmarshes
MARSH ISLANDS
Ilya V. Buynevich
Department of Earth and Environmental Science,
College of Science and Technology, Temple University,
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Definition
Marsh islands are coarse-grained ridges along a salt marsh
margin formed by storm deposition through contemporary
tidal inlets.
Description
Originally documented along the North Carolina coast
(Cleary et al., 1979), inlet-associated marsh islands have
been recognized in a number of back-barrier and barred
estuary settings around the world. These linear ridges rise
from 0.5 to >1 m above the vegetated marsh surface and
mark the locations of active or former tidal inlets
(Figure 1).
Marsh islands typically occur along mixed-energy barrier coasts, where a salt marsh platform is located in proximity to flood-tidal shoals. Recent studies of these features
in South Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maine indicate that
the stratigraphy of the islands consists of a fining-upward,
shell-rich sandy sequence deposited through one or several stages of sediment influx by flood-tidal currents and
storms waves. Subsequent aeolian reworking and varying
stages of vegetation development characterize more
mature landforms. This sequence typically has a sharp
MARSH ISLANDS
417
Semeniuk, V., and Wurm, P. A. S., 2000. Molluscs of the
Leschenault Inlet estuary – their diversity, distribution, and
population dynamics. Journal of the Royal Society of Western
Australia, 83, 377–418.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, T. A., and Unno, J., 2000. The
Leschenault Inlet estuary – an overview. Journal of the Royal
Society of Western Australia, 83, 207–228.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, C. A., Tauss, C., Unno, J., and Brocx, M.,
2011. Walpole and Nornalup Inlets: Landforms, Stratigraphy,
Evolution, Hydrology, Water Quality, Biota, and Geoheritage.
Perth (Monograph): Western Australian Museum. 584 p. ISBN
978-1-920843-37-3.
Simons, R. D., Monismith, S. G., Saucier, F. J., Johnson, L. E., and
Winkler, G., 2010. Modelling stratification and baroclinic flow
in the estuarine transition zone of the St. Lawrence estuary.
Atmosphere-Ocean, 48, 132–146, doi:10.3137/OC316.2010.
Valle-Levinson, A., and Wilson, R. E., 1994. Effects of sill bathymetry, oscillating barotropic forcing and vertical mixing on estuary/ocean exchange. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
(1978–2012), 99(C3), 5149–5169.
Wang, D.-P., 1979. Wind-driven circulation in the Chesapeake Bay,
winter, 1975. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 9, 564–572.
Wu, J., 1973. Wind-induced turbulent entrainment across a stable
density interface. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 61(2), 275–287.
Wurm, P. A. S., and Semeniuk, V., 2000. The Leschenault Inlet estuary – its physical features and habitats for benthic fauna. Journal
of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 83, 229–250.
Cross-references
Estuarine Circulation
Evaporation and Transpiration
Residual Circulation
Tidal Flat Salinity Gradient
Tidal Hydrodynamics
Well-Mixed Estuary
MARSH DROWNING
Judith Z. Drexler
U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center,
Sacramento, CA, USA
Synonyms
Marsh conversion to open water; Marsh submergence;
Permanent marsh inundation
Definition
Marsh drowning is the large-scale death of tidal marsh
vegetation and conversion to open water habitat due to a
loss of marsh surface elevation relative to the tidal frame.
This process can occur as a result of sea-level rise, landsurface subsidence (due to oil, gas, or groundwater withdrawal), and/or compression of deep sediments (Brinson,
2006; Reddy and DeLaune, 2008). The ability of
a marsh to keep pace with sea-level rise and land-surface
subsidence is based on the buildup or vertical accretion
of organic material and inorganic sediments through time
on the marsh surface. If the rate of vertical accretion is not
fast enough in the face of sea-level rise and/or land-surface
subsidence, a marsh slowly becomes submerged and is
eventually lost due to permanent flooding. This has been
a long-standing problem in coastal marshes in the Mississippi River deltaic plain of Louisiana, USA (Reddy and
DeLaune, 2008), but is also of increasing concern globally
due to the predicted acceleration in the rate of
sea-level rise.
Bibliography
Brinson, M., 2006. Consequences for wetlands of a changing global
environment. In Batzer, D. P., and Sharitz, R. R. (eds.), Ecology
of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands. Berkeley: University of
California Press, pp. 436–461.
Reddy, K. R., and DeLaune, R. D., 2008. Chapter 18: Coastal
wetlands: Mississippi River deltaic plain coastal marshes,
Louisiana. In Biogeochemistry of Wetlands: Science and
Applications. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 669–702.
Cross-references
Marsh Islands
Salt Marsh Accretion
Saltmarshes
MARSH ISLANDS
Ilya V. Buynevich
Department of Earth and Environmental Science,
College of Science and Technology, Temple University,
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Definition
Marsh islands are coarse-grained ridges along a salt marsh
margin formed by storm deposition through contemporary
tidal inlets.
Description
Originally documented along the North Carolina coast
(Cleary et al., 1979), inlet-associated marsh islands have
been recognized in a number of back-barrier and barred
estuary settings around the world. These linear ridges rise
from 0.5 to >1 m above the vegetated marsh surface and
mark the locations of active or former tidal inlets
(Figure 1).
Marsh islands typically occur along mixed-energy barrier coasts, where a salt marsh platform is located in proximity to flood-tidal shoals. Recent studies of these features
in South Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maine indicate that
the stratigraphy of the islands consists of a fining-upward,
shell-rich sandy sequence deposited through one or several stages of sediment influx by flood-tidal currents and
storms waves. Subsequent aeolian reworking and varying
stages of vegetation development characterize more
mature landforms. This sequence typically has a sharp
MARSH ISLANDS
417