ASWM NEWS

RECENT REPORTS/STUDIES (Updated 8/2/07)

MEDIA COVERAGE

USEFUL LINKS & RESOURCES

---

ASWM NEWS
Coastal Wetland Dieback: The Phenomenon of Marsh Browning & Marsh Dieback Wetland scientists and riverkeepers have observed a distinct, disturbing change in the coastal marsh landscape since the 1990s—in the pan handle of Florida, and since 2000—in Louisiana, Georgia and Virginia, as the once green, intertidal smooth cord grass (Spartina alterniflora) turned unusually brown at a rapid rate, then died. The specific details of the dieback vary significantly from place to place. For example, in some cases, the original vegetation reestablished itself at the dieback sites, whereas in others, different vegetation supplanted the previously dominant species; yet in other marshes, vegetation remains absent. To read the full story in PDF format, [click here].		Spartina alterniflora and S. patens both affected at a marsh dieback site on Cape Code. Photo by Dr. Stephen Smith, Plant Ecologist, Cape Cod National Seashore

---

RECENT REPORTS/STUDIES

Added 8/2/07 Status of Sudden Wetland Dieback in Saltmarshes of the Delaware Inland Bays, Winter 2007

Authors: Chris Bason, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, Amy Jacobs, Andy Howard, & Melanie Tymes, Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control - February 28, 2007. Sudden Wetland Dieback (SWD) is characterized by the rapid death of at least the above ground parts of saltmarsh vegetation or its failure to grow during a single or multiple growing seasons (Figure 1). SWD may also result in the complete death of saltmarsh vegetation. Saltmarshes normally support lush summer crops of vegetation consisting primarily of saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). Marshes where SWD occurs appear brown or dead because little or no live green vegetation is present and the dead plant material from the previous year remains, or the marsh surface is exposed. For a direct link to this white paper, go to: http://www.inlandbays.org/cib_pm/pdfs/uploads/swdwhitepaper07final.pdf

DRAFT REPORT ON SALT MARSH DIEBACK ON CAPE CODE (2006) By Stephen M. Smith, National Park Service, Cape Cod National Seashore

This document summarizes our various activities in the last couple of years regarding field monitoring, pilot greenhouse studies, and analysis of aerial photography. It also includes a couple of sections that explore the idea of sea level rise as being a primary cause of vegetation loss. Please note that this document is a draft. A final version will be made available sometime in the Spring of 2007 pending feedback from readers. To view this draft report in PDF format, [click here].

---

MEDIA COVERAGE

Sudden Wetland Dieback

Susan Adamowicz - USFWS Reporters Tip Sheet -- November 15, 2006 Researchers are investigating whether a pathogenic fungus may be partly responsible for the rapid death of wetland grasses in New England. Sudden Wetland Dieback has been recorded in several Gulf Coast and southeastern states as well as all New England states, and researchers suspect the latest outbreaks may be in the Mid-Atlantic, at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware, said Susan Adamowicz, salt marsh researcher at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Maine. Contact Susan Adamowicz, (207) 646-9226, for more information, or click on this link: http://www.fws.gov/news/tipsheet/november-december-2006/story06.html.

---

USEFUL LINKS & RESOURCES

Georgia Coastal Research Council -- http://www.gcrc.uga.edu/

Salt Marsh Dieback in Louisiana -- http://brownmarsh.net

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection & Restoration Act Task Force -- Breaux Act website or call the Louisiana Governor's Office of Coastal Activities at 225-342-3968 www.LAcoast.gov/brownmarsh

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act -- http://www.fws.gov/laws/laws_digest/COASWET.HTML

USGS National Wetlands Research Center - Coastal Marsh Dieback http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/about/web/brwnmrsh.htm

New England Sudden Wetland Dieback -- http://wetland.neers.org/ Updated by New England Estuarine Research Society -- http://www.neers.org/

Center for the Inland Bays - Projects and Research on Dieback in Delaware http://www.inlandbays.org/cib_pm/saltmarsh-db-pages.php?id=165_0_42_0_C

Return to top