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Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetland Assessment: Integrated Monitoring for Water Quality and Habitat

This white paper assesses the state of tidal wetlands along the mid-Atlantic coast and provides insights for water quality and habitat management. It covers key findings on tidal wetland loss, ecosystem services, restoration planning, and impact projections. The document highlights the importance of preserving these diverse ecosystems for flood protection, wildlife, and carbon sequestration. It also discusses monitoring programs, regulatory decision-making, and climate adaptation strategies for sustaining tidal wetlands in the face of sea level rise. The assessment emphasizes the need for stringent nutrient criteria to mitigate wetland loss and maintain water quality. Through intensive monitoring and assessment programs, stakeholders seek to enhance the resilience of these critical habitats.

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Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetland Assessment: Integrated Monitoring for Water Quality and Habitat

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  1. The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetland Assessment: Integrated Monitoring of Tidal Wetlands for Water Quality and Habitat Management and Restoration Planning Danielle Kreeger Martha Maxwell-Doyle Amy Deller Jacobs Angela Padeletti Tracy Quirk David Velinsky Thomas Belton Dorina Frizzera

  2. White Paper Top Ten

  3. Tidal Wetlands

  4. Tidal Wetlands A Signature Trait of System Near Contiguous Band Diverse: Freshwater Tidal Marshes Brackish Marshes Salt Marshes Nature’s Benefits Flood Protection Fish and Wildlife Natural Areas Carbon Sequestration Water Quality

  5. State of the Estuary Report 2008 Acreage? no recent, consistent, high resolution data across the estuary Condition? no data

  6. Tidal Wetland Projections - IEc 2100 2000 • SLAMM V.6 Findings: • 26% loss of 42,558 hectares of tidal wetlands • loss of 50,236 hectares of adjacent uplands and non-tidal wetlands • gain of 106,529 hectares of open water and tidal flats • net loss of >60,000 metric tons/year of primary production services

  7. Will Tidal Wetlands Keep Pace with SLR? Sediment Supply Energy, Erosion Primary Productivity Elevation Capitol Sea Level Nutrients

  8. Angola Neck – Rehoboth Bay, DE Summer, 2006 Sudden Wetland Dieback – Marsh Browning Slide from Chris Bason and Amy Jacobs

  9. Tidal Wetlands - NEP Priority State of Estuary Reporting Regulatory Decision-Making On-the-Ground Projects Water Quality Management Fish and Wildlife Management MACWA Climate Adaptation Restoration Planning

  10. Water Quality - Wetland Interactions • Alter Vegetation Types • Impair Condition • Affect Accretion • Enhance Vulnerability • Sinks for Sediments • Sinks for Nutrients • Detoxify Some Contaminants • Sinks for Pathogens ? Will nutrient criteria need to be more stringent if >25% tidal wetlands are lost?

  11. Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetland Assessment (MACWA) Delaware Estuary Wetland Monitoring & Assessment Program (DEWMAP) Freshwater Tidal Marsh Salt Marsh

  12. Acknowledgements Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetland Assessment (MACWA) • Sample Frame all tidal wetlands between coastal New Jersey and coastal Maryland, including the Delaware Estuary • Subpopulations wetland type (oligohaline, mesohaline, polyhaline) state (DE, NJ, PA) estuary (NEPs and vicinity)

  13. Guidance from EPA Intensive monitoring at fixed stations Level IV

  14. MACWA Design: Tier 1 data on acreage, some condition Tier 2 data on condition, stressors Tiers 3 and 4 data on condition, function, stressors

  15. Tier 1 Example Percentage Loss of Emergent Tidal Marsh 1996-2006

  16. Tier 1 Satellite Data – Kearney and Riter 1993 Percent vegetation 2006

  17. MACWA Current Focus Tier 2 Rapid Assessment Methods (RAM) Tier 4 Site-Specific Intensive Monitoring (SSIM)

  18. Delaware Estuary Barnegat Bay DE Inland Bays MD Coastal Bays Others? Other NJ Coastal MACWA

  19. STAC Wetland Work Group MACWAG • Focus on Tidal Marshes • Link to Adjacent Estuaries (Network) National Wetland Monitoring & Assessment Work Group NWMAWG Mid-Atlantic Wetland Work Group MAWWG

  20. MACWA Sites in the Delaware Estuary See later slide for updated fixed station locations

  21. Main Points of Contact RAM SSIM Angela Padeletti (PDE) Tracy Quirk (ANSP) See her poster!

  22. RAM DE MidTRAM (Jacobs et al.)3 Attributes: • Buffer Integrity • Hydrologic Integrity • Habitat/Bio Integrity

  23. RAM Progress • MidTRAM Training • QAPP • Tests Near SSIM Stations • All Tidal Wetlands in PA • Broadkill Watershed, DE 2011: • Maurice Watershed, NJ • Christina Watershed, DE 2012: • Barnegat Bay, NJ

  24. PA Tidal Wetlands – Cumulative Distribution

  25. PA Tidal Wetlands – Condition Summary

  26. Tidal Wetlands – Condition Comparison Analysis by Alison Rogerson, DNREC

  27. RAM Lessons Learned 2010A large portion of tidal freshwater wetlands in PA were degraded in condition. But condition scores were comparable to salt marshes in the St. Jones and Broadkill watersheds of DESome stressors found in the upper estuary, such as trash smothering were not directly captured by MidTRAMMidTRAM modifications are being considered based on these lessons and to potentially add shoreline condition (erosion, alterations)

  28. Future RAM Strategy(contingent on funding)Delaware Estuary2009 – 2015+Barnegat Bay 2012+Delaware Inland Bayscompleted

  29. Main Points of Contact RAM SSIM Angela Padeletti (PDE) Tracy Quirk (ANSP) See her poster!

  30. SSSIM Efforts • Site Selection • QAPP • Coordination - ANSP on phys/chem - NEPs on bio • 2010 - Baseline monitoring - SETs Installed • 2011: Site Expansion - Water Quality - SET Readings, Biological

  31. Tier 4 Example Metrics Water Quality Elevation and Sediment Budget Biogeochemical Cycling Plant Community Integrity Carbon Storage Functional Dominant Fauna Integrity Tier 4 Example Stations

  32. MACWA SSIM StationsDelaware Estuary Tidal Wetlands Non-Tidal Wetlands SSIM Stations (Priority) SSIM Stations (Secondary) SSIM Stations (Pending) Villanova Stations DNREC Stations

  33. MACWA SSIM StationsBarnegat Bay High Salt Marsh Low Salt Marsh SSIM Stations

  34. SSIM Station Assessment Area

  35. One size fits all? • No: include both “Core” and “Supplemental” metrics for both RAM and station monitoring • Compare only core metrics for climate and other • sub-regional monitoring needs • Use core + supplemental metrics for local or • watershed specific needs MACWA

  36. Barnegat Bay – Parkertown SET Installation

  37. Barnegat Bay – Parkertown Elevation and Vegetation Survey

  38. Getting Equipment To Sites

  39. MACWA Partners (so far) Academy of Natural Sciences Barnegat Bay Estuary Program DNREC EPA HQ, Regions2 and 3 NJDEP + NJ Coast Zone Program PADEP PDE (Coordinator) Rutgers University Villanova University Wetland Associates

  40. Summary • Coastal wetlands are a hallmark feature of the Delaware Estuary and coastal mid-Atlantic • They provide diverse critical goods and services that sustain lives and livelihoods • They are extremely vulnerable to combined watershed and climate stressors • Improved efforts to monitor wetland status and trends will assist in managing and sustaining them into the future • Regional coordination strengthens scientific outcomes, improves management and leverages more diverse funding

  41. We Thank the Many People Who Have Assisted in Workshops, Workgroups and in the Field And We Are Grateful to Our Funders: EPA Headquarters EPA Region 2 EPA National Estuary Program DE Dept. of Natural Resources Environ. Control NJ Coastal Management Program PA Coastal Management Program

  42. Wetland Benefits (Ecosystem Services) Livelihoods Health Health Lives Health Health Health

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