Artículo
Thresholds in marsh resilience to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Silliman, Brian R.; Dixon, Philip M.; Wobus, Cameron; He, Qiang; Daleo, Pedro
; Hughes, Brent B.; Rissing, Matthew; Willis, Jonathan M.; Hester, Mark W.
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Fecha de publicación:
28/09/2016
Editorial:
Nature Publishing Group
Revista:
Scientific Reports
ISSN:
2045-2322
Idioma:
Inglés
Tipo de recurso:
Artículo publicado
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
Ecosystem boundary retreat due to human-induced pressure is a generally observed phenomenon. However, studies that document thresholds beyond which internal resistance mechanisms are overwhelmed are uncommon. Following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, field studies from a few sites suggested that oiling of salt marshes could lead to a biogeomorphic feedback where plant death resulted in increased marsh erosion. We tested for spatial generality of and thresholds in this effect across 103 salt marsh sites spanning ∼430 kilometers of shoreline in coastal Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, using data collected as part of the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). Our analyses revealed a threshold for oil impacts on marsh edge erosion, with higher erosion rates occurring for ∼1-2 years after the spill at sites with the highest amounts of plant stem oiling (90-100%). These results provide compelling evidence showing large-scale ecosystem loss following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. More broadly, these findings provide rare empirical evidence identifying a geomorphologic threshold in the resistance of an ecosystem to increasing intensity of human-induced disturbance.
Palabras clave:
Saltmarsh
,
Oil Spill
,
Spartina
,
Ersoion
Archivos asociados
Licencia
Identificadores
Colecciones
Articulos(IIMYC)
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS
Citación
Silliman, Brian R.; Dixon, Philip M.; Wobus, Cameron; He, Qiang; Daleo, Pedro; et al.; Thresholds in marsh resilience to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; Nature Publishing Group; Scientific Reports; 6; 28-9-2016; 1-7
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