Many Coastal Wetlands Likely To Disappear This Century Says USGS Report

Many coastal wetlands worldwide — including several on the U.S. Atlantic coast — may be more sensitive than previously thought to climate change and sea-level rise projections for the 21^st century.

Tidal Marshland in the Plum Island Estuary, Massachusetts

U.S. Geological Survey scientists made this conclusion from an international research modeling effort published today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union. Scientists identified conditions under which coastal wetlands could survive rising sea level.

Using a rapid sea-level rise scenario, most coastal wetlands worldwide will disappear near the end of the 21^st century. In contrast, under the slow sea-level rise projection, wetlands with low sediment availability and low tidal ranges are vulnerable and may drown. However, in the slow sea-level rise projection, wetlands with higher sediment availability would be more likely to survive.

Several coastal marshes along the east coast of the United States, for example, have limited sediment supplies and are likely to disappear this century. Vulnerable east coast marshes include the Plum Island Estuary (the largest estuary in New England) and coastal wetlands in North Carolina’s Albemarle-Pamlico Sound (the second-largest estuary in the United States).

Alaska Coastal 

marsh

“Accurate information about the adaptability of coastal wetlands to accelerations in sea-level rise, such as that reported in this study, helps narrow the uncertainties associated with their disappearance,” said USGS scientist Glenn Guntenspergen, an author of this report. “This research is essential for allowing decision makers to best manage local tradeoffs between economic and conservation concerns.”

“Previous assessments of coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise have been constrained because they did not consider the ability of wetlands to naturally modify their physical environment for adaptation,” said USGS scientist Matt Kirwan, an author of this report. “Failure to incorporate the interactions of inundation, vegetation and sedimentation in wetlands limits the usefulness of past assessments.”

USGS scientists specifically identified the sediment levels and tidal ranges (difference between high and low tide) necessary for marshes to survive sea-level rise. As water floods a wetland and flows through its vegetation, sediment is carried from upstream and deposited on the wetland’s surface, allowing it to gain elevation. High tidal ranges allow for better sediment delivery, and the higher sediment concentrations in the water allow wetlands to build more elevation.

Coastal wetlands provide critical services such as absorbing energy from coastal storms, preserving shorelines, protecting human populations and infrastructure, supporting commercial seafood harvests, absorbing pollutants and serving as critical habitat for migratory bird populations. These resources and services will be threatened as sea-level rise inundates wetlands.

The rapid sea-level rise scenario used as the basis for this study is accredited to Stefan Rahmstorf at Potsdam University, one of the contributing authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. The slow sea-level rise projection is from the A1B scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report.

The study, “Limits on the Adaptability of Coastal Marshes to Rising Sea-Level,” can be found online. Any journalists who are not registered with AGU and cannot view this article can contact USGS to have a copy emailed to them.

Photos accompanying this release can be found at http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2010_12_01

Contacts and sources:

Glenn Guntenspergen
United States Geological Survey

Geophysical Research Letters
 US Geological Survey

Foxtail Grass Dangerous to Dogs by: Marilyn Pokorney REQUIREMENTS FOR REPRINT: You have permission to publish this article free of charge in your e-z

Foxtail Grass Dangerous to Dogs

If you have dogs, keep the foxtail out of your lawn!

Foxtail is a common annual grass usually considered a weed.
It grows one to three feet tall, with branching and some
spreading at ground level. Leaf blades are 4 to 15 inches
long. Flower heads are dense spikes with yellow to reddish,
green or purplish bristles. As foxtail matures, seeds are
formed at the top of the stalk. The bushy seeds are what
gives the plant the name of “foxtail”.

When mature, the seeds detach easily from the plant. This
is natures way of making sure that the plant reproduces.
The seeds easily cling to clothing, fur, and hair. The
seeds always move forward thus penetrating the skin.

The seeds found in the ears, eyes and nose are very serious
and can become life threatening. But no body part is
immune. The seeds have been found in the urethra, vagina,
anal glands, brain, and spinal cord. In one case a
veterinarian found the seed in the lung but the original
site of entry was the paw. The seeds also gain entry
through open wounds.

Foxtail seeds are very tiny so veterinarians usually go by
symptoms.

If in the nasal cavity, the dog sneezes repeatedly and
violently often hitting the nose on the floor. If a bloody
discharge is noticed assume it’s a foxtail seed.

If in the eye, the dog paws at the eye and the eye waters.
If an eye is glued shut it is most likely a foxtail seed.

If the seed is in the ear the dog shakes its head violently
from side to side. Sometimes the dog paws a the eyes or
ear, shaking the head and squints.

In the mouth foxtail seeds can cause gagging or difficulty
swallowing. If the seed gets caught between the teeth, in
the gums, back of throat, or tongue problems can result.

If the seed lodges in the paw or under the coat a lump will
form that is painful to the touch. Other symptoms include
rubbing the head on the ground and going round in circles,
licking or biting at the rectum or other body parts, or
yelping or shining for no obvious reason.

Foxtail seeds can cause fatalities when they reach internal
organs.

In any case, do not attempt to treat the animal yourself.
Get professional help.

Get rid of all foxtail in your lawn or yard. If foxtail
grows in your yard mow the grass often, especially in late
spring when the plant grows most rapidly. This prevents the
plant from ever setting seed.

Avoid parks, or other recreational areas where you know
foxtail grows.

Always brush and inspect your dogs coat after being in
grassy areas. Dogs with long hair are even more likely to
attract the seeds than shorthaired breeds.

Examine your dogs eyes and ears.