More Information About The Project

Objectives

• Assess hydrological, geomorphological, biogeochemical and ecological indicators at diverse, differently-aged sites of formerly leveed wetlands that have historically reverted to tidal inundation.
• Compare indices of ecological and general fish and wildlife habitat quality of these naturally breached levee sites to existing mitigation and restoration sites that were purposefully constructed by levee breaching or comparable restoration actions.
• Using the same indicators, compare the status of these restored wetlands to wetland function at natural "reference" marsh sites.

Sampling Regime

• Geomorphology and bathymetry
• Sediment accretion rate and structural changes
• Tidal channel geomorphology
• Marsh vegetation complexity and structure
• Benthic, planktonic, and neustonic invertebrate populations
• Fish assemblage and life history structure and behavior
• Food web linkages
• Bird populations