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19 February 2021 Nearshore Sediment Comparisons among Natural, Living, and Armored Shorelines in Mobile Bay, Alabama
Saranee Dutta, Patrick D. Biber, Chris A. Boyd
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Abstract

This study was conducted to compare the sediment parameters of 2 project sites located near Dauphin Island, AL, which each contained a natural shoreline (NS), a living shoreline (LS), and a hardened shoreline (HS) treatment. We collected sediment core samples from the shallow intertidal zone along 3 replicate transects and sectioned them into shallow (0–15 cm) and deep (16–30 cm) fractions. We analyzed sediment subsamples for bulk density, sediment grain size, total carbon, total nitrogen, and extractable phosphorus. At both project sites, HS sediments contained significantly more sand (>90% percent) and higher bulk density than NS and LS sediments. The HS sediments also contained significantly less C and N than the LS and NS. These data suggest that LS treatments over time facilitate conditions that favor organic-matter rich and fine-grained sediments and approach the conditions found in the NS, in contrast to HS sediments that become less suitable for marsh development. These sediment changes in LS treatmnts promote habitat conditions that help facilitate marsh expansion and thereby provide important habitat for estuarine dependent wildlife.

Saranee Dutta, Patrick D. Biber, and Chris A. Boyd "Nearshore Sediment Comparisons among Natural, Living, and Armored Shorelines in Mobile Bay, Alabama," Southeastern Naturalist 20(1), 135-151, (19 February 2021). https://doi.org/10.1656/058.020.0114
Published: 19 February 2021
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