Sediment dynamics over multiple time scales in Dyke Marsh Preserve (Potomac River, VA)
Abstract
Tidal freshwater marshes are critical components of fluvial and estuarine ecosystems, yet sediment dynamics within them have not received as much attention as their saltwater counterparts. This study examines sedimentation in Dyke Marsh Preserve, located on the Potomac River (VA), focusing on understanding the spatial variability present over multiple time scales. Bimonthly sediment data were collected using ceramic tiles, and seasonal- and decadal-scale sedimentation was determined via 7Be (half-life 53.3 days) and 210Pb (half-life 22.3 years), respectively. Results were also compared to SET data collected by the National Park Service since 2006. Preliminary data indicate that sites at lower elevations have higher sedimentation rates, likely related to their close proximity to the sediment source. Mass accumulation rates generally decreased with increasing time scale, such that the seasonal rates were greater than the SET-derived accretion rates, which were in turn greater than the decadal-scale rates. However, the bimonthly rates were the lowest observed, probably because the sampling period (May-October 2010) did not include the main depositional period of the year, which would be integrated by the other techniques.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010AGUFMEP31B0745P
- Keywords:
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- 0497 BIOGEOSCIENCES / Wetlands;
- 1861 HYDROLOGY / Sedimentation