Applications for Assessing Sediment Sources in Back-Barrier Systems

• Main Author: Ladlow, Caroline
• Format: Others
• Published: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst 2019
• Subjects: sedimentology; tidal wetlands; typhoons; marshes; coast; natural hazards
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/840; https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1888&context=masters_theses_2

In order to improve our understanding of present and future coastal environmental change, we look into the past using sediment that accumulates in coastal environments. We have done this for two disparate systems: a back-barrier lagoon in southwestern Japan, and freshwater tidal marshes along the Hudson River, New York, USA. In Japan, we used a 2,500-year sediment record to investigate coastal flood risk from tsunamis and typhoons. This is a critical area of study to better understand the spatial and temporal variability of these hazards in Japan. In the Hudson River we looked at modern (since 1800) deposition of sediment in anthropogenically constructed embayments that have formed tidal wetlands in the last few centuries. A better understanding of the factors that have attributed to these successful tidal marsh systems in the past can help inform future management decisions in the face of future sea level rise. Studying the history of coastal systems using the sediment record is a valuable tool for assessing hazard risk and habitat loss in the present and future.