Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment
IntroductionThe beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM) to nourish degrading wetlands is a direct solution to increase surface elevation to help wetlands keep pace with sea level rise (SLR). While there have been numerous demonstrations of BUDM in wetland environments, there is a limited understan...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1518759/full |
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| author | Brian D. Harris Aleksandra Ostojic Lenore P. Tedesco Keith VanDerSys Susan Bailey Justin L. Shawler Navid H. Jafari Monica Chasten |
| author_facet | Brian D. Harris Aleksandra Ostojic Lenore P. Tedesco Keith VanDerSys Susan Bailey Justin L. Shawler Navid H. Jafari Monica Chasten |
| author_sort | Brian D. Harris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThe beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM) to nourish degrading wetlands is a direct solution to increase surface elevation to help wetlands keep pace with sea level rise (SLR). While there have been numerous demonstrations of BUDM in wetland environments, there is a limited understanding of the resultant spatial and temporal elevation response due to consolidation of the dredged material and underlying wetland foundation soils.MethodsTo address this, surface elevations were monitored following multiple BUDM nourishments on a back-bay island in New Jersey. Field data was compared to consolidation models to assess the viability of current geotechnical modeling practices. Multispectral surveys were performed to document the revegetation of the nourished island over time.ResultsThe placement of dredged material smothered the vegetation, but the site experienced significant revegetation (low of 22% cover in August 2021 to 52% in September 2023) after three full growing cycles. Approximately two years post BUDM, the nourished area experienced a 0.19 ± 0.11-m increase in elevation. The comparison of elevation immediately after nourishment and two years post- nourishment found that approximately one-third of elevation loss was the result of consolidation of deposited dredged material and the underlying wetland foundation.DiscussionIt was found that a reliance on solely laboratory data can induce a large degree of uncertainty within projected surface elevations. Thus, the implementation of in-situ geotechnical methods is strongly advised when possible. This investigation allowed for a comprehensive examination of geotechnical modeling methods for planning wetland nourishments, including predicting the ability to keep pace with sea level rise. Ultimately, the two BUDM nourishments offset the effects of SLR by approximately 18-28 years. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2dbe86fc3f2c4c54ab0025dd6c71788f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-2dbe86fc3f2c4c54ab0025dd6c71788f2025-02-05T07:33:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2025-02-011310.3389/fevo.2025.15187591518759Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishmentBrian D. Harris0Aleksandra Ostojic1Lenore P. Tedesco2Keith VanDerSys3Susan Bailey4Justin L. Shawler5Navid H. Jafari6Monica Chasten7Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Vicksburg, MS, United StatesCoastal Hydraulics Laboratory, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Vicksburg, MS, United StatesThe Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ, United StatesOffice of Landscape and Architecture, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesEnvironmental Laboratory, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Vicksburg, MS, United StatesCoastal Hydraulics Laboratory, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Vicksburg, MS, United StatesDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United StatesOperations Division, US Army Corps of Engineers- Philadelphia District, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesIntroductionThe beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM) to nourish degrading wetlands is a direct solution to increase surface elevation to help wetlands keep pace with sea level rise (SLR). While there have been numerous demonstrations of BUDM in wetland environments, there is a limited understanding of the resultant spatial and temporal elevation response due to consolidation of the dredged material and underlying wetland foundation soils.MethodsTo address this, surface elevations were monitored following multiple BUDM nourishments on a back-bay island in New Jersey. Field data was compared to consolidation models to assess the viability of current geotechnical modeling practices. Multispectral surveys were performed to document the revegetation of the nourished island over time.ResultsThe placement of dredged material smothered the vegetation, but the site experienced significant revegetation (low of 22% cover in August 2021 to 52% in September 2023) after three full growing cycles. Approximately two years post BUDM, the nourished area experienced a 0.19 ± 0.11-m increase in elevation. The comparison of elevation immediately after nourishment and two years post- nourishment found that approximately one-third of elevation loss was the result of consolidation of deposited dredged material and the underlying wetland foundation.DiscussionIt was found that a reliance on solely laboratory data can induce a large degree of uncertainty within projected surface elevations. Thus, the implementation of in-situ geotechnical methods is strongly advised when possible. This investigation allowed for a comprehensive examination of geotechnical modeling methods for planning wetland nourishments, including predicting the ability to keep pace with sea level rise. Ultimately, the two BUDM nourishments offset the effects of SLR by approximately 18-28 years.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1518759/fullwetland restorationconsolidationcone penetrometer testlidarecogeomorphologycompaction |
| spellingShingle | Brian D. Harris Aleksandra Ostojic Lenore P. Tedesco Keith VanDerSys Susan Bailey Justin L. Shawler Navid H. Jafari Monica Chasten Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution wetland restoration consolidation cone penetrometer test lidar ecogeomorphology compaction |
| title | Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment |
| title_full | Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment |
| title_fullStr | Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment |
| title_short | Wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment |
| title_sort | wetland elevation change following beneficial use of dredged material nourishment |
| topic | wetland restoration consolidation cone penetrometer test lidar ecogeomorphology compaction |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1518759/full |
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