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FROM VOLUME 6, NUMBER 5, MAY 1993

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
SEA LEVEL IMPACTS: ECOSYSTEMS AND COASTAL MORPHOLOGY

Item #d93may34

"Numerical Simulation of Vertical Marsh Growth and Adjustment to Accelerated Sea Level Rise, North Norfolk, UK," J.R. French (Dept. Geog., Univ. Coll. London, London WC1H 0AP, UK), Earth Surface Proc. & Landforms, 18(1), 63-81, Feb. 1993.

Simulations with a simple one-dimensional mass balance model show that only the most dramatic scenarios of mean sea level rise through the next century result in ecological "drowning" and reversion to tidal flat. Currently favored scenarios give rise to sedimentary deficits that are clearly sustainable in the short term.

Item #d93may35

"Vegetation Change on a Northeast Tidal Marsh--Interaction of Sea Level Rise and Marsh Accretion," R.S. Warren (Dept. Bot., Connecticut Coll., New London CT 06320), W.A. Niering, Ecology, 74(1), 96-103, Jan. 1993.

Examines vegetation changes in a Long Island Sound marsh over four decades, which may be related to documented increased rates of relative sea level rise, and may serve as a model for potential future effects on New England tidal marshes.

Item #d93may36

"Accretion Rates of Low Intertidal Salt Marshes in the Pacific Northwest," R.M. Thom (Battelle Marine Sci. Lab., 439 W. Sequim Bay Rd., Sequim WA 98382), Wetlands, 12(3), 147-156, Dec. 1992.

Measurements in several locations suggest that the scenarios of moderate and high rise-rate through the year 2050 would threaten the existence of salt marshes in the region in the absence of increased sediment supply, although more data is needed to refine predictions.

Item #d93may37

"Application of Geoprocessing and Simulation Modeling to Estimate Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the Northeast Coast of Florida," J.K. Lee (Sch. Public Affairs, Indiana Univ., Bloomington IN 47405), R.A. Park, P.W. Mausel, Photogrammetric Eng. & Remote Sensing, 58(11), 1579-1586, Nov. 1992.

Results indicate that sea level rise of scenarios of 0.5 m, 1.0 m and 1.25 m would result in wetland losses of 6.5%, 31.9% and 40.0%, respectively.

Item #d93may38

"A Geohydrologic Continuum Theory for the Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Marsh-Estuarine Ecosystems," R. Dame (Coastal Carolina Coll., Conway SC 29526), D. Childers, E. Koepfler, Neth. J. Sea Res., 30, 63-72, Dec. 1992.

Presents a new holistic theory to explain the spatial and temporal behavior of marsh-estuarine ecosystems along the marine-estuarine-freshwater gradient in response to sea level rise, using ecosystem development theory and the river continuum concept as starting points.

Item #d93may39

"Predictive Estimates of Coastal Evolution as a Result of Possible Fast Sea Level Rise During Global Climatic Warming," V.B. Belyaev (Lomonosov State Univ., Moscow 117234, Russia), P.A. Kaplin et al., Okeanologiya, 32(4), 742-751, Jul.-Aug. 1992. In Russian.

Presents a preliminary map of coastal evolution for the former Soviet Union under a one-meter sea level rise, with natural coastal "risk zones" delineated.

Item #d93may40

"Shoreface Translation Model: Computer Simulation of Coastal Sand Body Response to Sea Level Rise," P.J. Cowell (Dept. Geog., Univ. Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia), P.S. Roy, R.A. Jones, Mathematics & Computers in Simulation, 33(5-6), 603-608, Apr. 1992.

A model based on the principles of sand mass conservation and geometric rules for shoreface and barrier morphology is illustrated with an assessment of coastal erosion risks in the face of sea level rise from global warming, and an example involving mineral exploration on the continental shelf.

Item #d93may41

"Effect of Rising Sea Level on Runoff and Groundwater Discharge to Coastal Ecosystems," W.K. Nuttle (23 Lakeview Terr., Ottawa ON K1S 3H3, Can.), J.W. Portnoy, Estuarine, Coastal & Shelf Sci., 34(2), 203-212, Feb. 1992.

Demonstrates that the link between sea level rise and runoff is critically dependent on the sensitivity of surface runoff to changes in the elevation of the water table, using an example from Cape Cod (Massachusetts). Effects on near-shore ecosystems include changes in nutrient fluxes and in the salinity of the sediments.