User:Emily Smith7/Brackish marsh

Hurricanes effects on brackish marshes
Brackish marshes are a type of wetland that are located throughout the world. Coastal wetlands are very productive habitat but can be influenced by human activity. Anthropogenic effects include an increase in nutrients and exotic species. Especially under conditions that lack oxygen, carbon dioxide will be formed through the decomposition of the organic matter. Brackish marshes are beginning to decline in coastal areas due to embankment. This process prevents the river in that area to not flood. In that process, the brackish marsh is destroyed.

Hurricanes can influence the habitat directly or indirectly making the impact complex. Hurricanes can cause a direct effect by increasing the risk of erosion in the area and sediment deposition. Hurricanes can cause an indirect affect by increasing the rate of tree mortality. Hurricanes produce high winds which can harm the mangrove forests by stopping root growth which ultimately kills the trees. Hurricanes can cause a great deal of damage especially to coastal wetlands. When Hurricane Andrew stuck Florida and Louisiana in 1992, it seemed to have changed the sediment deposition. Hurricane Andrew influenced the sediment by making the sediment in those areas coarser than before the hurricane hit. The hurricane also increased the vertical accretion meaning that the sediment within the area got thicker vertically. The timing of when the hurricane hits and how that influenced the brackish marshes needs to be studied more.

The global sea level has been increasing over the past century, and this may amplify the impacts of hurricanes. Sea level rising has already caused a loss of many coastal marshes in many areas. The sea level rising is influenced by thermal expansion and the increasing of ice melting. Thermal expansion is produced when the temperature in the ocean starts to increase and the density of the water decreases. Sea level is important when it comes to the erosion and other threats from hurricanes. Hurricanes can also influence the soil elevation that is in this habitat. Elevation in brackish marshes can be affected by how intense the hurricane is or where the brackish marsh is located.