Forecasting Effects of Sea LEVEL RISE on Coastal Wetland Structure and Function.

Sea-level rise is an ongoing process and its potential effects on coastal wetlands is a topic of great importance due to the environmental, economic and cultural value of these ecosystems. South Florida is currently a national focal point of attention for sea-level rise as the city of Miami and surrounding areas are already experiencing damaging effects of increased sea levels. Due to extremely low elevation and minimal topographic relief, the southern Everglades are a source of concern for ecosystem managers and scientists involved in restoration. This concern is born out of the high degree of uncertainty associated with future sea-level rise rates and the ecological impacts of salt water transgression into freshwater marshes. Potential alterations to the wetland landscape include changes to vegetation community structure, organic soil stability and biogeochemical cycling of ecologically relevant elements. Soil processes such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus storage, key ecosystem services in this system, are forecast to change dramatically based upon our current understanding of freshwater wetland responses to saltwater transgression events.