Long-Term Buzzards Bay Salt Marsh Study – Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program

Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program > Living Resources > Salt Marshes > Long-Term Buzzards Bay Salt Marsh Study

by Joseph E. Costa, Last updated: 3 December 2021

Salt marshes in Buzzards Bay provide a vital role by providing habitat, regulating water quality, and stabilizing coastlines. In recent years, many coastal towns have experienced the degradation or loss of their salt marshes. In order to better understand and halt this trend, the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program, Woodwell Climate Research Center, and the Buzzards Bay Coalition are collaborating on a long-term study of salt marsh loss around Buzzards Bay.

Monitoring and tracking changes over many years within a dozen selected salt marshes will improve our understanding of the causes of marsh loss. In particular, we are focusing on how climate change, pollution, and changes in the abundance of certain crab species may be affecting our salt marshes. Using transects, which are defined paths our team will follow through the marsh on every visit, information will be collected on the height, abundance, and species of vegetation, as well what species of shellfish and crab live there. Elevations will also be taken as a means of monitoring how well area salt marshes are adapting to sea level rise. The monitoring program has been designed to minimize impacts and disturbance of the marsh study sites. The results of this work will help town officials and state and federal mangers develop possible mitigation strategies to protect and restore salt marshes.

This webpage was set up in support of the long-term study. The study sites selected for this study are publicly owned or permanently protected and publicly accessible salt marshes and adjacent uplands, with parking relatively close to allow for the porting of survey equipment. The Buzzards Bay NEP, in collaboration with its partners, installed permanent survey marker (NGS rod type survey monument) in an upland area immediately adjacent to each marsh. A brief overview of the methodology used in this study is contained in this Standard Operating Procedures document. The benchmarks are used to measure the precise geodetic elevations of features and vegetation within each marsh using survey levelers. The benchmarks themselves are being evaluated with survey grade GPS and through survey tie-ins to other benchmarks. These benchmarks are also being related to tidal datums using the NOAA tidal model VDatum, and by use of local tidal elevation data loggers.

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