Presentation Abstract
Climate change and human interactions pose significant threats for the health of estuaries. In 2012 The Nature Conservancy (TNC) removed a dike at the mouth of the Stillaguamish river to restore ecosystem functioning and resilience to climate change. Monitoring reference zones is critical for contextualizing growth patterns in complicated systems like estuaries. The purpose of this study was to determine which reference zones were most similar to the restoration zone in Port Susan Bay. Using bulrush measurements collected during my internship with TNC, I used an excel T test to assess statistical similarity between zones based on the means of Bolboschoenus Species (river bulrush) and Schoenoplectus Pungens (3 square bulrush), percent cover, and combined bulrush biomass. Results showed that vegetation statistically matches natural reference site conditions, suggesting that the marsh has been restored to natural conditions. However, estuaries are heterogeneous ecosystems that have many confounding factors affecting marsh structure and similarity is a complicated question that varies depending on the variables examined.
Session Title
Track: Governance, Management & Funding – Posters
Conference Track
Governance, Management & Funding
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2020 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
2020_abstractID_5598
Start Date
21-4-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
22-4-2020 4:45 PM
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Environmental monitoring--Washington (State)--Stillaguamish River; Estuarine area conservation--Washington (State)--Stillaguamish River; Estuarine area conservation--Washington (State)--Port Susan; Sediment transport--Washington (State)--Stillaguamish River;
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Stillaguamish River (Wash.); Port Susan (Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
ASSESSING THE STATISTICAL SIMILARITY OF PORT SUSAN BAY RESTORATION AND REFERENCE SITES
Climate change and human interactions pose significant threats for the health of estuaries. In 2012 The Nature Conservancy (TNC) removed a dike at the mouth of the Stillaguamish river to restore ecosystem functioning and resilience to climate change. Monitoring reference zones is critical for contextualizing growth patterns in complicated systems like estuaries. The purpose of this study was to determine which reference zones were most similar to the restoration zone in Port Susan Bay. Using bulrush measurements collected during my internship with TNC, I used an excel T test to assess statistical similarity between zones based on the means of Bolboschoenus Species (river bulrush) and Schoenoplectus Pungens (3 square bulrush), percent cover, and combined bulrush biomass. Results showed that vegetation statistically matches natural reference site conditions, suggesting that the marsh has been restored to natural conditions. However, estuaries are heterogeneous ecosystems that have many confounding factors affecting marsh structure and similarity is a complicated question that varies depending on the variables examined.
