The Legacy of Agricultural Reclamation on Channel and Pool Networks of Bay of Fundy Salt Marshes |
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Authors: | Graham K MacDonald Paula E Noel Danika van Proosdij Gail L Chmura |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geography and Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6, Canada;(2) Present address: Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada;(3) Present address: Nature Conservancy of Canada, Atlantic Region, Fredericton, NB, E3B 2T9, Canada;(4) Department of Geography, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, B3H 3C3, Canada;(5) Department of Geography and Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre, McGill University, 805 Shebrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6, Canada; |
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Abstract: | We assess the status of channel networks and pools of two tidal salt marshes recovering from more than a century of agricultural
reclamation on the Bay of Fundy, Canada. A process of largely unmanaged restoration occurred at these sites since abandonment
of agricultural activities during the first half of the twentieth century. Each recovering marsh was compared to a reference
marsh that was never drained or ditched. We field mapped channel networks at all marshes and used aerial photographs to map
the pre-abandonment channel network at one of the sites. The recovering marshes have hybrid channel networks that feature
highly variable channel morphologies, loss of original channels, and incorporation of drainage ditches. Although channel networks
in recovering marshes integrate agricultural ditches, the recovering marsh networks may not be substantially increased in
length or density. Our aerial photograph analysis shows that channel density at one of the recovering marshes is comparable
to the pre-abandonment density, but with reduced sinuosity. Field mapping of permanent tidal pools on the lower Bay marshes
revealed that pools cover 13% of the recovering marsh, compared to ∼5% of the reference marsh. This study demonstrates that
these essential marsh features can be regained through restoration or simple abandonment of drainage infrastructure. |
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