DELEP Science Plan 2005

1
Managing and Monitoring Tidal Freshwater Marshes
of the Delaware Estuary
Danielle KreegerScience DirectorPartnership for
the Delaware Estuary
2
The Watershed
3
Facts Figures
Slide adapted from Jonathan Sharp (UDel)
4
Facts Figures - Ports

• Largest Freshwater Port in World
• Approx 3,000 vessel arrivals/year
• 3rd largest petro-chemical port in the nation
  (largest for crude oil imports, 75 of east
  coast)
• 1 million barrels of crude oil imported daily
• Largest North American port for steel, paper, and
  meat imports
• Largest cocoa bean and fruit import port on east
  coast
• Port system generates 19 billion in annual
  revenue

Slide adapted from USCG 2005
5
Facts Figures - see handouts
6
Delaware Estuary
7
Tidal Wetlands

• A Signature Trait of System
• Near Contiguous Band
• Diverse Freshwater Tidal Marshes
• Brackish Marshes
• Salt Marshes
• Ecological Values
• Structural
• habitat for fish and wildlife
• nurseries for imperiled taxa
• Functional
• food web
• water quality
• flood protection

8
Technical Needs
9
(No Transcript)
10
Delaware Estuary Spartina Marsh
11
Delaware Estuary Freshwater Tidal Marsh
12
Tidal Range up to 9 Salinity lt0.5 ppm
13
Low Intertidal - Succulents
14
Benthic Algae
15
(No Transcript)
16
High IntertidalHigh Biodiversity
Mid-IntertidalWild Rice, Cattail
17
High Faunal Diversity
18
Nursery Habitat
19
Recreation
20
Freshwater Tidal Wetlands
A Signature Trait of the Delaware Estuary
System Ecological Values Structural habitat
for fish and wildlife nurseries for imperiled
taxa Functional food web water
quality flood protection
21
Degradation
22
Piney Neck, DE
Sudden Wetland Dieback Marsh Browning
Slide from Chris Bason (Center for Inland Bays,
DE)
23
Piney Neck, DE
Slide from Chris Bason (Center for Inland Bays,
DE)
24
Summer, 2006
Slide from Chris Bason (Center for Inland Bays,
DE)
25
Angola Neck Rehoboth Bay, DE
Summer, 2006
Slide from Chris Bason (Center for Inland Bays,
DE)
26
Indian River Marsh No Ditching
Slide from Chris Bason (Center for Inland Bays,
DE)
27
Sudden Wetland Dieback on Atlantic and Gulf Coasts

• Widespread, sudden vegetation death
• Mostly Spartina alterniflora (low marsh)
• 1st noted 68 in Louisiana
• Recent occurrences unprecedented
• Rate of recovery variable

2006
Slide Chris Bason (CIB, DE) Source Ron Rosa (CT
DEP)
28
Likely Causes from the Literature

• Possibly drought triggered phenomenon
• Biotic agents probably secondary
• Fusarium fungus
• Periwinkle snails
• Abiotic agents probably primary
• McKee et al. 2004 have most compelling evidence
  for drought?soil water deficit?oxidation?decreased
  ph?increased toxic metal concs.
• However, Inland Bays Cape Cod low marsh flood
  twice daily.

Slide Chris Bason (CIB, DE)
29
Freshwater Tidal Wetlands
Ecological Values Structural habitat Functio
nal food web water quality flood
protection
Concerns Degradation
Conversion Loss
30
Freshwater Tidal Wetland Acreage
Past and Present Pre-Settlement ? 1973
(Patrick et al.) 2310 ha 1981 (NWI) 9347 ha
(all classes) 597 ha (emergent) 1988 (Tiner
Wilen) 1000 ha New data soon (NWI, States,
LU/LC) Estimated lt 5 remains
31
Land Use in Tidal Marsh Buffer Zone in the Lower
Estuary of NJ (LE3)
32
Land Use in Tidal Marsh Buffer Zone in the Upper
Estuary of NJ (UE2)
33
Land Use in the 1000 m Buffer Landward of Tidal
MarshesPercent Built Out(Land Cover data, 1992)
34
Freshwater Tidal Wetlands
1992
Ecological Values Structural habitat
Functional food web water quality flood
protection
2006
Concerns Degradation Conversion Loss Sea
level rise
Canary Creek Marsh, DE
35
Freshwater Tidal Wetlands
Ecological Values Structural habitat
Functional food web water quality flood
protection
Concerns Degradation Conversion Loss Sea
Level Rise
Storms
36
ShorelineErosion
Courtesy D. Bushek, Rutgers
Courtesy J. Gebert, ACOE
37
Freshwater Tidal Wetlands
Ecological Values Structural habitat
Functional food web water quality flood
protection
Concerns Degradation Conversion and Loss Sea
Level Rise Storms
Sediment budget
38
So What Can We Do?
39
What Can We Do? 1. Protect and Conserve
40
What Can We Do? 2. Restore Enhance
41
What Can We Do? 3. Monitor and Study
42
Changes in Wetland FunctionNatural versus
Restored
Reference Wetland Condition
Function
Existing Wetlands
Restored Wetlands
time
Slide from Amy Jacobs (DE DNREC)
43
Monitoring Questions
What parameters to monitor?
How to measure spatial extent?
How to detect precursors of wetland decline?
How to set up a meaningful sampling strategy?
44
What parameters to monitor?
45
Functions Evaluated

• Wildlife Habitat Integrity
• Plant Community Integrity
• Maintenance of Characteristic Hydrology
• Biogeochemical Cycling and Storage
• Buffer Integrity

Slide from Amy Jacobs (DE DNREC)
46
B
A
C
D
Slide from Chris Bason (Center for Inland Bays,
DE)
47
Condition of non tidal wetlands in the Nanticoke
River watershed
Collected data on over 200 randomly selected
wetlands using Comprehensive Method Assessed
condition compared to reference wetlands
Slide from Amy Jacobs (DE DNREC)
48
How to measure spatial extent?

• Most Sampling Strategies Include
• Landscape Scales for acreage (remote sensing,
  LANDSAT satellite reflectance, LULC, NWI,
• buffer analysis, etc)
• 2. Rapid assessment for cost-effectiveness
  (stats)
• Intensive condition assessments, HGM, IBI
• ground-truthing, shoreline surveys, function

49
Guidance from EPA
March 2003 EPA document, Elements of a State
Water Monitoring and Assessment Program (EPA
841-B-03-003) April 2006 EPA document,
Applications of . http//www.epa.gov/owow/wetlan
ds/monitor/ Tiered Approach with Core
Indicators Supplemental Indicators - Census
(comprehensive) - Probability sampling
(extrapolate to broad scale) - Target sampling
(e.g., gradient from reference to impacted)
50
Overview of Protocols
Slide from Regina Poeske (EPA Region III)
51
Elements of a State Water Monitoring and
Assessment Program for Wetlands

• A) Monitoring Program Strategy
• B) Monitoring Objectives
• C) Monitoring Design
• D) Core and Supplemental Indicators
• E) Quality Assurance
• F) Data Management
• G) Data Analysis/Assessment
• H) Reporting
• I) Programmatic Evaluation
• J) General Support and Infrastructure Planning

• How to implement a wetland monitoring and
  assessment program within the context of 2003
  Elements Document
• Duplicates 10 elements and describes how to apply
  that element to wetlands
• Promotes interstate consistency in reporting the
  quantity and quality of the nations wetlands

Slide from Regina Poeske (EPA Region III)
52
Mid-Atlantic Wetland Working Group (MAWWG)

• Participants include regulatory personnel and
  scientists from Region III states, New Jersey and
  Ohio
• Goal
• Development and implementation of state wetland
  monitoring strategies for the mid-Atlantic
  region.
• Inclusion of wetlands into traditional water
  assessment programs
• State collaboration/ training in monitoring and
  assessment method design and application
• http//www.mawwg.psu.edu/default.asp

Slide from Regina Poeske (EPA Region III)
53
MAWWG Accomplishments

• Four states (PA, DE, MD, VA) have developed/
  developing state wetland monitoring strategies
• DE and VA implementing rotating basin program
• PA beginning 2006
• MAWWG states share tools that cross ecoregions
• HGM/IBI Models
• FQAI
• Rapid Assessment Methods
• Landscape/GIS Tool
• Tools that are field tested and are currently
  being used at the field level
• Level 1, 2 and 3

Slide from Regina Poeske (EPA Region III)
54
Delaware State-Wide Monitoring Strategy

• Assess the condition of wetlands on the watershed
  level
• Rapid Assessment used to assess all sites
• Comprehensive assessment used on a subset of
  sites to validate the rapid assessment
• Information from assessment used to develop
  wetland/
• watershed restoration strategies

Slide from Regina Poeske (EPA Region III)
55
Additional Notes

• In the Delaware Estuary, the diversity of tidal
  wetlands may provide an opportunity to establish
  biological criteria for water quality, in
  particular for high nutrient concentrations and
  unbalanced nutrient ratios.
• Longer monitoring some sites may be needed to
  evaluate the functions and services provided,
  which is especially important for restored
  marshes

56
Summary

• We must increase efforts to monitor the condition
  of existing wetlands in addition to assessing
  wetlands extent, and then apply this information
  to management, restoration planning, and
  goal-setting.
• The Delaware Estuary exhibits many of the same
  wetland attributes and monitoring and protection
  challenges as seen in the Gulf.
• The Delaware Estuary represents a good laboratory
  to test the appropriateness of various core and
  supplemental indicators needed to monitor various
  types of tidal wetlands and disturbance
  conditions.

57
Acknowledgements

• Amy Jacobs, DNREC
• Regina Poeske, EPA Region III
• Chris Bason, DE Center for Inland Bays

Contact Info
Danielle Kreeger DKreeger_at_DelawareEstuary.org www.
DelawareEstuary.org
58
National Waters Assessment
Wetlands are included in National Waters
Assessment
Slide from Regina Poeske (EPA Region III)
59
(No Transcript)
60
Conceptual Framework
Apply to
Needs Prioritization
Outreach
State of the Estuary Reports
Monitoring Research
Indicators Goals
Restorations
61
Watershed Subregions of the Delaware Estuary NEP
Area
62
(No Transcript)
63
(No Transcript)
64
(No Transcript)
65
(No Transcript)
66
(No Transcript)
67
Phytoplankton
Pennate Diatoms
Centric Diatoms
Bacteria
Detritus Complex
Heterotrophic Protists
68
Phytoplankton
Pennate Diatoms
Centric Diatoms
Bacteria
Detritus Complex
Heterotrophic Protists
69
(No Transcript)