Sea Grant Program: Mississippi‑Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
Title: Effects of fire on water quality, plant production, and biogenic accretion in a Juncus roemerianus dominated marsh
Start Date: 02/01/08
Duration: 2 years
Project Leader: Cherry, Julia A.
Affiliation: The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Sea Grant Funds (2 years): $106,791
Matching Funds: $53,498
Keywords: biogenic accretion; climate change; fire; Juncus roemerianus; marsh stability; sea-level rise; water quality
Objectives:
Year 1:
- Determine field site locations within Grand Bay NERR
- Characterize and map debris accumulation within experimental blocks
- Implement experimental design including establishment of 18 experimental plots and installation of marker horizons
- Determine baseline characteristics of water quality, plant production, and accretion for all experimental plots and of water quality in adjacent bayous
- Conduct prescribed burning of marsh
- Implement post-burn data collection at all experimental plots and in adjacent bayou
Year 2:
- Complete post-burn data collection at all experimental plots and in adjacent bayou and analyze data
- Test fire effects on organic debris removal by re-surveying blocks for presence of debris
- Test hypotheses of fire effects on water quality, plant production, and biogenic accretion
- Provide workshops as part of education and outreach
- Provide oral presentations of research findings to scientific community, resource managers, and public at conferences
- Provide written descriptions of research findings in reports and peer-reviewed manuscripts
Methodology:
This project will investigate the effects of fire on the water quality, plant production, and biogenic accretion of a Juncus roemerianus marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Mississippi. The methods to be used for data collection and analysis include:
- Prescribed fire: in conjunction with fire managers at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge
- Soil and porewater physicochemistry: redox potential, bioavailable nutrients, and sulfide concentrations as described in Patrick et al., 1996; McKee et al., 1988; Robertson et al., 1999, respectively
- Porewater physicochemistry: pH and salinity using YSI meters
- Belowground plant production: implanted mass technique as described in Symbula & Day, 1988
- Aboveground plant production: paired-clip plots as described in Lomnicki et al., 1968
- Plant percent cover: aerial estimation of cover within 1 m x 1 m plots
- Biogenic accretion: feldspar marker horizons (see http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/set/installation/markers.html)
- Percent combustion of organic debris: comparison of debris abundance before and after burn using GPS-generated maps of debris locations within the marsh
Rationale:
The proposed research will address the “Health and Restoration of Coastal Habitats” MAGSG priority area by investigating how prescribed fire affects physicochemistry, plant production, and biogenic accretion in a coastal marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), Mississippi. Grand Bay marshes are important habitat for threatened and endangered species, recreationally important species, and economically important species, and appropriate management and restoration of these marshes will not only improve habitat but maximize opportunities for revenue and jobs associated with eco-tourism along the Gulf Coast. The data from this project will provide a variety of scientific, economic, and social benefits.
For example, data can be used to evaluate the benefits and potential costs of prescribed burning as a management practice in a J. roemerianus dominated marsh, as well as to identify the effects of burning on nutrient availability and transport between the marsh and the surrounding bayous. These data will provide key insights into the effectiveness of prescribed burning as a management strategy, and the relative importance of biogenic accretion for the maintenance of valuable marsh habitat. In addition, these data can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of fire for removal of debris after severe storms.
For More Information Contact: the MASGC Research Coordinator, Loretta Leist (Loretta.leist@usm.edu).
Please reference the project number R/CEH-27.
(Annual Report)
