Poster Details
SYNTHESIZING COASTAL SALTWATER INTRUSION STUDIES ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN US - ARE ALL SALINIZATION PATHWAYS THE SAME?
Freshwater ecosystems of the east coast of the United States are becoming more saline as climate change advances the progression of marine salts landward through sea level rise, strengthened storm surges, and increased drought intensity. Efforts to monitor saltwater incursion into freshwater ecosystems have demonstrated large variability in the advancing salinity front, meaning that not all systems are experiencing saltwater incursion in the same way. By comparing solute chemistry and soil solution data from sites across the southeastern United States, we aim to evaluate these differences and explain the variability in ecosystem response to salinization. We ask: what is the range of salt concentrations experienced in freshwater coastal environments? What are the rates of salinity changes over time at each site? Do relative solute contributions fluctuate across different systems, and what can be inferred about the underlying biogeochemical response to salinization? Results from this data synthesis indicate far more variability in solute chemistry and soil solution data across salinization sites than previously appreciated.
Emily Ury (Primary Presenter/Author), Duke University, ury.emily@gmail.com;
Emily Bernhardt ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Duke University, ebernhar@duke.edu;
Justin Wright ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Duke University, justin.wright@duke.edu;