Article
Ecology
Matthias Leu, Robert E. Isdell, Robert M. Galvin III, Andrew J. Rapp, Samuel D. Mason, Donna M. Bilkovic, Randolph M. Chambers
Summary: This study compared the ecological function of living shorelines (LSs) and natural-fringe marshes (NFMs) for wading birds and found that LSs are functionally equivalent to NFMs for herons and shorebird species.
Article
Ecology
Amanda G. Guthrie, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Molly Mitchell, Randolph Chambers, Jessica S. Thompson, Robert E. Isdell
Summary: Salt marshes provide important ecosystem services to coastal communities, while living shorelines can provide suitable habitat for nekton communities, including juveniles and forage base species. The construction of living shorelines, such as rock sills, does not seem to diminish the habitat quality in the marsh or nearshore waters and may provide enhanced structural shoreline habitat.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Cindy M. Palinkas, Miles C. Bolton, Lorie W. Staver
Summary: Shorelines in Chesapeake Bay and other coastal areas are eroding rapidly and facing future loss due to urbanization and rising sea levels. The use of ecologically-friendly approaches like living shorelines is increasingly being adopted to mitigate erosion. This study investigates the long-term resiliency and effectiveness of living shorelines and their impact on adjacent benthic habitats. The findings indicate that living shorelines can build seaward and reduce erosion, with potential benefits for nutrient burial.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Katherine S. Longmire, Rochelle D. Seitz, Alison Smith, Romuald N. Lipcius
Summary: This study found that juvenile blue crabs have a significantly higher survival rate on oyster reef habitats compared to bare sand habitats, and the survival rate tends to increase with crab carapace width in both habitats. In oyster reef habitats, the main successful predators on juvenile blue crabs were northern pufferfish, while in sand habitats, it was adult blue crabs. The high survival rate in oyster reef habitats suggests that they may provide refuge from predators for juvenile blue crabs, expanding the ecosystem services provided by oyster reefs.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Ocean
Nan Wang, Qin Chen, Hongqing Wang, William D. Capurso, Lukasz M. Niemoczynski, Ling Zhu, Gregg A. Snedden
Summary: This paper introduces a novel framework that utilizes scientific machine learning methods to accurately and rapidly predict the long-term hydrodynamic forcing impacting living shorelines based on short-term measurements of water levels and wind waves. The study focuses on predicting wave energy spectra in shallow water using winds and tides as input features and short-term measurements of wave spectra and water depths as labels. The developed LSTM models accurately predict wave heights, peak periods, and energy spectra around the living shorelines, capturing complex wave dynamics. The findings provide valuable insights into the efficacy of living shorelines in attenuating wave energy and demonstrate the utility of this approach in assessing the effectiveness of such structures.
APPLIED OCEAN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jason D. Toft, Megan N. Dethier, Emily R. Howe, Emily Buckner, Jeffery R. Cordell
Summary: Living shorelines are a common restoration technique in human-impacted coastal ecosystems, with this study focusing on their effectiveness within the Salish Sea in Washington State, USA. Results show that certain beach metrics can restore quickly, while others take longer, and certain functions of living shorelines increase over time, providing improved support for food webs. Monitoring the trajectory of restoration efforts is crucial for addressing coastal defense needs in the face of increasing shoreline stressors from global change and sea level rise.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Ling Zhu, Qin Chen, Hongqing Wang, Nan Wang, Kelin Hu, William Capurso, Lukasz Niemoczynski, Gregg Snedden
Summary: This study utilizes physics-based models and the bagged regression tree (BRT) machine learning algorithm to simulate wave dynamics at a living shoreline composed of constructed oyster reefs (CORs) in upper Delaware Bay. The results show that CORs effectively stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion. The BRT algorithm improves the model accuracy and identifies key processes responsible for simulation errors, providing important information for the assessment and adaptive management of CORs-based living shoreline restoration projects under climate change.
Article
Oceanography
R. M. Chambers, A. L. Gorsky, R. E. Isdell, M. M. Mitchell, D. M. Bilkovic
Summary: Living shoreline marshes are designed to mimic natural fringing marshes to mitigate erosion and allow for landward migration of intertidal habitats. Although soil nutrients in living shorelines differed from those in natural marshes, they are expected to approach natural marsh levels over time.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Grace D. Molino, Zafer Defne, Alfredo L. Aretxabaleta, Neil K. Ganju, Joel A. Carr
Summary: Coastal salt marshes are under threat from rising sea levels, causing ecosystems to migrate inland and convert upland into marsh. Utilizing high-resolution elevation data and a general slope quantification method, the likelihood of coastal forest converting to salt marsh can be determined, supporting management decisions regarding critical forested areas for marsh migration.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Nan Wang, Qin Chen, Ling Zhu, Hongqing Wang
Summary: This study investigates the wave characteristics around constructed oyster reefs (CORs) in upper Delaware Bay and develops soft computing-based models to predict long-term wave characteristics. The results show that CORs can significantly attenuate wave energy and height, which is significant for protecting coastal ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adam Schlenger, Elizabeth W. North, Yun Li, Ming Li, W. Michael Kemp
Summary: This study applied the habitat volume model to quantify interannual changes in potential habitat volume for estuarine fish and shellfish, identifying which parameters had the most influence on habitat and which species were most sensitive to environmental variability. Results showed that physiological tolerances and environmental constraints had significant effects on habitat volumes, with salinity and dissolved oxygen being primary constraints for required habitats and salinity and temperature for optimal habitats. Predictive relationships between physiological tolerances and habitat volumes were identified, providing insight into estimating habitat limitation in estuarine systems. This modeling approach has the potential to quantify essential fish habitat and project the impact of climate change and nutrient loading on living resources.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Selina L. Cheng, Kinsey N. Tedford, Rachel S. Smith, Sean Hardison, Michael R. Cornish, Max C. N. Castorani
Summary: This study examined the relative abundance of blue crabs in different habitat environments. The results showed that the abundance of blue crabs is influenced by seagrass, salt marsh, and bathymetric features, and the habitat associations depend on sex and reproductive stage. Changes in coastal geomorphology and vegetation may impact the abundance and distribution of blue crabs in the future.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Gabrielle G. Saluta, Gina M. Ralph, Kathleen E. Knick, Michael S. Seebo, Romuald N. Lipcius
Summary: Regular maintenance of waterways and ports involves dredging and disposal of sediment, which can harm marine species. Our understanding of the effects of dredged sediment on blue crabs is limited, particularly for mobile macrofauna.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adelle Molina, Robert M. Cerrato, Janet A. Nye
Summary: The study indicates that temperature, salinity, size, estuary of origin, and winter duration are important predictors of winter mortality in blue crabs. Crabs from different estuaries may show varying adaptability to survivorship models based on Chesapeake Bay. Severity and duration of winter could impact northern blue crab populations differently along latitudinal gradients.
Article
Fisheries
Dong Liang, Genevieve M. Nesslage, Michael J. Wilberg, Thomas J. Miller
Summary: This study used Gaussian Graphical Models to analyze key indices of blue crab recruitment in the Chesapeake Bay, revealing significant direct effects of age-1+ crabs and summer salinity on recruitment. Additionally, the North Atlantic Oscillation, discharge, and hypoxic volume indirectly affected recruitment.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Robert E. Isdell, Randolph M. Chambers, Donna M. Bilkovic, Matthias Leu
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2015)
Article
Ornithology
Vitek Jirinec, Robert E. Isdell, Matthias Leu
Article
Ecology
Donna Marie Bilkovic, Molly M. Mitchell, Robert E. Isdell, Matthew Schliep, Ashley R. Smyth
Article
Ecology
Robert E. Isdell, Donna M. Bilkovic, Carl Hershner
Article
Oceanography
R. M. Chambers, A. L. Gorsky, R. E. Isdell, M. M. Mitchell, D. M. Bilkovic
Summary: Living shoreline marshes are designed to mimic natural fringing marshes to mitigate erosion and allow for landward migration of intertidal habitats. Although soil nutrients in living shorelines differed from those in natural marshes, they are expected to approach natural marsh levels over time.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Donna Marie Bilkovic, Robert E. Isdell, Amanda G. Guthrie, Molly M. Mitchell, Randolph M. Chambers
Summary: The study found that the abundance of ribbed mussels in natural and nature-based living shoreline designs is low, potentially due to sediment organic matter content and plant density. It is recommended to facilitate self-sustaining populations of ribbed mussels in these restored habitats by modifying design and implementation practices.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Molly Mitchell, Robert E. Isdell, Julie Herman, Christine Tombleson
Summary: The accelerating sea level rise in Virginia poses significant threats to low-lying areas, including flooding, saltwater intrusion, and impacts on septic systems. While most adaptation efforts have focused on urban areas, rural regions face different challenges and require prioritization of data collection for effective adaptation measures.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert E. Isdell, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Amanda G. Guthrie, Molly M. Mitchell, Randolph M. Chambers, Matthias Leu, Carl Hershner
Summary: This study compared ecological metrics between living shorelines and natural fringing marshes in coastal Virginia, USA, finding that living shorelines were functionally equivalent to natural marshes in nearly all aspects, except for differences in soil composition due to construction methods. These findings support the prioritization of living shorelines as a coastal adaptation strategy.
Article
Ecology
Amanda G. Guthrie, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Molly Mitchell, Randolph Chambers, Jessica S. Thompson, Robert E. Isdell
Summary: Salt marshes provide important ecosystem services to coastal communities, while living shorelines can provide suitable habitat for nekton communities, including juveniles and forage base species. The construction of living shorelines, such as rock sills, does not seem to diminish the habitat quality in the marsh or nearshore waters and may provide enhanced structural shoreline habitat.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Robert E. Isdell, Donna M. Bilkovic, Carlton Hershner
Article
Ecology
Alexander M. Cancelli, Frank A. P. C. Gobas
Summary: A mechanistic model was developed to assess the removal efficiency of pollutants in a wetland system, particularly in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). The model simulated wetland mechanisms of chemical removal and showed that sustained wetland treatment is feasible. It is a helpful tool to evaluate the feasibility of treatment systems and to assess trade-offs in wetland design and operation.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Prakash Singh Thapa, Hiromu Daimaru, Seiji Yanai
Summary: This study assessed the vegetation recovery and erosion condition in a landslide area in central Japan. The results show that the upper slope, where reforestation activities were implemented, has seen significant vegetation recovery and no significant erosion, while the lower slope lacks vegetation and has experienced continued erosion.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Mike Jerauld, Forrest Dierberg, Thomas DeBusk, Scott Jackson, Kevin Grace, John Juston
Summary: The Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) are constructed wetlands built to remove phosphorus (P) from agricultural and urban runoff in support of Everglades restoration. Research shows that the levels of calcium (Ca) and alkalinity (Alk) have an impact on phosphorus removal in these wetlands.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Kalindhi Larios, Stefan Gerber, Rafael Munoz-Carpena, Patrick Inglett, K. Ramesh Reddy, Michael Chimney
Summary: This study modeled the phosphorus biogeochemical dynamics in one of the best performing Everglades treatment wetlands and found that the complexity of the hydrological system significantly affected the simulated water column P concentration. The modeling tool developed in this study can guide future data collection and optimization efforts for treatment wetlands in the Everglades.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jing Hu, Benjamin Baiser, R. Thomas James, K. Ramesh Reddy
Summary: This study examined the long-term phosphorus retention in Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) and identified the factors influencing their performance. The results showed that the operational performance of STAs improved over time. There were notable differences among individual STAs, with the co-precipitation of phosphorus with calcium playing a critical role in one of the STAs. This highlights the complexity of phosphorus removal in STAs and the need for site-specific management strategies.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Odi Villapando, K. R. Reddy, J. King
Summary: The biogeochemical response to different flow conditions within two parallel flow-ways in Everglades Stormwater Treatment Area (STA)-2 was studied. It was found that there was a gradual decrease in the total phosphorus (TP) concentration from inflow to outflow for both emergent aquatic vegetation (EAV) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) dominated systems, with EAV showing a higher reduction rate. Significant increase in TP concentration was observed in the SAV system under no flow condition, possibly due to the production of particulate phosphorus (PP) through various mechanisms.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)