Marsh Dieback Workshop

Research Abstracts (Feb 2004)

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ASSESSING INITIAL IMPACT
Remote Sensing

Mapping and Analysis of Marsh Dieback and Residential Piers in Coastal Georgia. Karen Payne (Univ of Georgia Marine Extension Service)

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Coastal Marsh Dieback in Louisiana, 2000 - 2002, as Determined from Aerial Surveys. Thomas C. Michot , Christopher J. Wells (U. S. Geological Survey), R. Scott Kemmerer (Johnson Controls World Services)

Photo interpret, using stereo techniques and ground truthing, aerial infrared photographs of twelve 1:24.000 quadrangle maps of highly stressed saline marsh taken in the Barataria Terrebonne Estuary in the fall of 2000 and the fall of 2001. Lawrence R. Handley (U.S. Geological Survey)

Characterization of Brown Marsh Progression and/or Recovery Using Landsat 7 Satellite Imagery (2000-2001). Andrew Beall and Shea Penland (Univ. of New Orleans)

Monitoring

Quarterly Monitoring of Marsh Dieback Sites in Coastal Georgia. Janice Flory (Georgia Coastal Research Council) and Matt Ogburn (Univ. of Georgia)

Monitoring at Isle of Hope, Chatham Co. Georgia. Joe Richardson and Ben Maher (Savannah State Univ.)

Coastwide Survey of Marsh Dieback in Georgia. Matt Ogburn and Merryl Alber (Univ. of Georgia)

Plant and Soil Characterizations in a Spartina alterniflora Saltmarsh Experiencing Dieback in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, USA. Thomas C. Michot (U. S. Geological Survey) R. Scott Kemmerer (Johnson Controls World Services)

CAUSATION
Weather, Hydrology, Elevation

Integrative Approach to Understanding the Causes of Salt Marsh Dieback: Analysis of Climate Drivers (Brown Marsh Task II.5). Erick M. Swenson, Elaine Evers (Coastal Ecology Institute, School of the Coast and Environment, Louisiana State Univ.), and John M. Grymes, III (Department of Geography, Louisiana State Univ.)

Field Investigation into Hydrologic Drivers of Brown Marsh Formation and Potential Surface Erosion. Chris Swarzenski (U. S. Geological Survey)

Soil Effects, Plant/Soil Interactions

Investigation of Potential Causes of Salt Marsh Dieback in Georgia: a Transplant Study. Matt Ogburn and Merryl Alber (Univ. of Georgia)

Acute Salt Marsh Dieback in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain: Survey of Multiple Sites in Barataria and Terrebonne Basins. Karen McKee (U.S. Geological Survey)

Integrative Approach to Understanding the Causes of Salt Marsh Dieback: Determination of Salt Marsh Species Tolerance Limits to Potential Environmental Stressors and Simulation of Salt Marsh Dieback - Photosynthetic Response (Task II.1) Mark W. Hester, Jonathan M. Willis (University of New Orleans), and Irving Mendelssohn (Louisiana State Univ.)

Integrative Approach to Understanding the Causes of Salt Marsh Dieback: Experimental Manipulations of Hydrology and Soil Biogeochemistry (Task II.2). Robert R. Twilley (Univ. of Louisiana at Lafayette)

Porewater Chemistry / Sediment Chemistry (sections of Task II.3: Field Investigations to Identify Site-Specific Hydrologic Drivers). Robert P. Gambrell (Louisiana State Univ.) and Stephen Faulkner (U.S. Geological Survey)

Extensive Dieback of Non-saline Coastal Marshes in Louisiana, 1999 to 2001. George Melancon (Louisiana Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries)

Fungal Pathogens

Are Pathogenic Fungi Associated with Areas of Marsh Dieback? David Porter (Univ. of Georgia)

Role of Pathogens in the Brown Marsh Syndrome and Development of Direct Seeding Technology for Planting Spartina alterniflora. Raymond W. Schneider (Louisiana State Univ.)

Herbivores

Analysis of Shoot and Root Systems of Spartina alterniflora from Dead Marsh Sites in Coastal Georgia. Chandra Franklin and Whitney Palefsky (Savannah State Univ.)

Top-down and Bottom Forces Interact to Cause Massive Marsh Die Back. Brian Silliman and Mark Bertness (Brown University)

INTEGRATION
Modeling

Sound Science Initiative. Bill McLemore (Georgia Geologic Survey, Environmental Protection Division)

Integrative Approach to Understanding the Causes of Salt Marsh Dieback:Coupled Hydrologic/Ecological Models of Marsh Dieback Processes (Task II.6).  Robert R. Twilley (Univ. of Louisiana at Lafayette)

RECOVERY AND RESTORATION

The Evaluation of Brown Marsh Recovery on Talahi Island, Chatham County, GA.  Mary Carla Curran (Savannah State Univ.)

Assessment and Potential for Vegetative Remediation of Selected Brown Marsh Sites in the Barataria and Terrebonne Basins. Mike Materne (Louisiana State Univ.)