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Salinity Gradient of Plants in the Hudson River Estuary, and their Application to Paleoclimate. Investigating Salt Marshes NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Student: Carimaxy Benitez, Max Lerner Mentors: Elsa Moralda, Miriam Jones, and Dee Pederson Scientist: Dorothy Peteet.
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Salinity Gradient of Plants in the Hudson River Estuary, and their Application to Paleoclimate Investigating Salt Marshes NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Student: Carimaxy Benitez, Max Lerner Mentors: Elsa Moralda, Miriam Jones, and Dee Pederson Scientist: Dorothy Peteet
Research Question • How do modern plants in a salinity gradient help us understand past climate change, specifically drought?
What are the characteristics of a Tidal Salt Marsh? • A low coastal wetland influenced by tides • Plants that grow in salt marshes are tolerant of two conditions: salt and water • Highly Productive Ecosystem, breeding ground for many species (ie. fishes and birds) • Protection against floods and storms: highly effective against soil erosion • Cleans and filters water: salt marshes clean water by filtering sediments, heavy metals, and other toxins from upstream runoff.
What is Salinity? • Salinity is the amount of dissolved salt per unit volume of sea water. • It influences the types of organisms that live in a body of water and on the land fed by that water. • The Hudson River is saline from the Hudson River Estuary to Newburgh, after which it is fresh water. • Pollution slightly influences salinity.
Iona Marsh • Located within the Bear Mountain Sate Park on the West shore of the Hudson River. • This brackish, slightly salt river marsh 50 miles from the ocean receives its freshwater inflow from Doodletown Brook and the Hudson River. • Dominated by Typha angustifolia, and Phragmites australis. • Fresh to brackish-about 2 ppt
Piermont Marsh • A brackish tidal marsh that is dominated by the common reed Phragmites australis, Spartina patens, Distichlis spicata, Spartina alterniflora, Scirpus americanus, and Scirpus robustos. • Very sensitive to surface water salinity. • Brackish-about 6 ppt
Jamaica Bay • Lies on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City. • Saline to brackish, eutrophic (nutrient-rich) estuary. • Low marsh is colonized by Spartina alterniflora while the high marsh is dominated by Spartina patens. • Salt marsh- about 22 ppt
Percent data for Piermont Marsh pollen and spores Data from Dorothy M. Peteet. and Dee Pederson.
Conclusions • By studying plant distributions along the Hudson River Estuary, we observed trends in salinity and water depth tolerances: less salt tolerant plants are upstream and more salt tolerant plants are found towards the mouth of the river. • Changes in the pollen and seeds over time in Piermont marsh indicate times of drought with higher salinity. • Understanding the magnitude and duration of droughts in the past is important for predicting future New York water limitations.