Resistance, resilience, and recovery of salt marshes in the Florida Panhandle following Hurricane Michael.

ABSTRACT: Characterizing the fragility, resistance, and resilience of marshes is critical for understanding their role in reducing storm damages and for helping to manage the recovery of these natural defenses. This study uses high-resolution aerial imagery to quantify the impacts of Hurricane Michael, a category 5 hurricane, on coastal salt marshes in the Florida Panhandle, USA. Marsh damage was classified into several categories, including deposition of sediment or wrack, fallen trees, vegetation loss, and conversion to open water. The marshes were highly resistant to storm damages even under extreme conditions; only 2% of the 173,259 km² of marshes in the study area were damaged-a failure rate much lower than that of artificial defenses. Marshes may be more resistant than resilient to

SUBMITTER: Castagno KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8516897 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature