Episodic Salinity Management to Counter Climate Change Effects on Tidal Brackish and Fresh Wetlands.

ABSTRACT: The capacity of brackish and freshwater tidal marshes to accrete vertically in response to sea level rise is threatened where drought and salinity intrusion are being amplified by climate change. Episodic salinity management with purchased augmented freshwater is an option for two modest-sized tracts in southeast Texas, where drought and hydrologic modifications threaten wetland resiliency and the Mottled Duck. We developed a transferable methodology to assess biophysical benefits in a spatially explicit manner for these heterogeneous wetlands. Four salinity objectives reflected zonal geography of the wetland plant communities and Mottled Duck brood-rearing needs. A calibrated daily wetlands hydrologic-salinity model contrasted scenarios of severe drought with those of freshwater augmentat

SUBMITTER: Johns ND 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12775006 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature