Earth Surface Dynamics
Earth Surface Dynamics
ESurf
Articles | Volume 9, issue 3
Articles | Volume 9, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-413-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-413-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 9, issue 3
Research article
 | 
25 May 2021
Research article |  | 25 May 2021

Biophysical controls of marsh soil shear strength along an estuarine salinity gradient

Megan N. Gillen, Tyler C. Messerschmidt, and Matthew L. Kirwan

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Cited articles

Ameen, A. D., Kolker, A. S., and Taylor, C. M.: Vegetation and Shear Strength in a Delta-splay Mouth Bar, Wetlands, 37, 1159–1168, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-017-0948-7, 2017. 
Barbier, E. B., Hacker, S. D., Kennedy, C., Koch, E. W., Stier, A. C., and Silliman, B. R.: The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services, Ecol. Monogr., 81, 169–193, https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1510.1, 2011. 
Baustian, J. J., Mendelssohn, I. A., and Hester, M. W.: Vegetation's importance in regulating surface elevation in a coastal salt marsh facing elevated rates of sea level rise, Global Change Biol., 18, 3377–3382, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02792.x, 2012. 
Bernik, B. M., Pardue, J. H., and Blum, M. J.: Soil erodibility differs according to heritable trait variation and nutrient-induced plasticity in the salt marsh engineer Spartina alterniflora, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 601, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12689, 2018. 
Brock, M. A., Nielsen, D. L., and Crossle, K.: Changes in biotic communities developing from freshwater wetland sediments under experimental salinity and water regimes, Freshwater Biol., 50, 1376–1390, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2005.01408.x, 2005. 
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We measured the shear strength of marsh soils along an estuarine salinity gradient to determine salinity's influence on marsh erodibility. Our work is one of the first studies to directly examine the relationship between salinity and marsh erodibility. We find that an increase in salinity correlates with higher soil shear strength values, indicating that salt marshes may be more resistant to erosion. We also show that both belowground biomass and soil properties drive shear strength differences.
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