Decadal evolution of a riverine marsh-lagoon system: The case of the Mullica River, NJ

Marshes provide several ecosystem services, including flood mitigation, carbon storage, and biodiversity provision. Despite the economic and ecological importance of marshes, there exists a critical gap in understanding their response to sea level rise (SLR). To fill this knowledge gap, we examine the morphological evolution of marsh environments along the Mullica River, in Southern NJ, from 1995 to 2015. In general, marshes in this region are bounded by Barnegat Bay or the Mullica River on one side, and the marsh to forest ecotone on the landward side. We mapped these boundaries in years 1995 and 2015 using Land Use/Land Cover data sets from the NJDEP Bureau of Geographic Information Systems, which allowed us to quantify changes in marsh extent associated with upland migration and erosion at the marsh-lagoon edge. Our preliminary results suggest that high and low marsh environments migrated landward in the detriment of forest species such as deciduous and coniferous forests. Overall, this work aims to provide a process-based understanding of marsh-lagoon decadal changes and has the potential to inform best practices for managing marsh-lagoon systems under different SLR scenarios.