Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Humans have modified marine nearshore ecosystems through the construction of shoreline armoring. Armoring, in the form of seawalls and bulkheads, reduces the mean abundance and quantity of key biological features of shoreline ecosystems, such as the coverage, depth, and composition of beach wrack, the number of beached logs, and the density and richness of supratidal invertebrates. Armoring also affects the physical and biological composition and diversity of shoreline ecosystems and communities – altering the makeup of sediments, beach wrack, and invertebrates, for example. Less is known, however, about changes in the amount of variability – both over time and space – of these important ecological responses. Natural variation in physical and biological variables can itself be an indicator of ecosystem health and effectiveness of restoration. Working alongside citizen scientists, we found that beach wrack, beach logs, and supratidal invertebrates were not only more abundant and diverse at natural (never armored) strata compared to armored strata, but also had higher variation. In many, but not all cases, restoration recovered this variation. Importantly, we found that differences among sample sites, rather than across sample years, explained more of the variation in ecological responses. Because shoreline armoring is an inherently human activity, public perception of this variability is key to the social context of restoration success. Participation in data collection through citizen science endeavors is one way to encourage an appreciation for natural variability within and across landscapes. We implore that shoreline monitoring efforts should evaluate and communicate ecosystem variability as a key indicator of restoration success.
Session Title
Nearshore Restoration and Shoreline Management
Conference Track
SSE9: Nearshore
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-36
Start Date
27-4-2022 9:45 AM
End Date
27-4-2022 11:15 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Shore protection--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Shorelines--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine ecology--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (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
Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Shoreline armor removal to restore variability in intertidal ecosystems
Humans have modified marine nearshore ecosystems through the construction of shoreline armoring. Armoring, in the form of seawalls and bulkheads, reduces the mean abundance and quantity of key biological features of shoreline ecosystems, such as the coverage, depth, and composition of beach wrack, the number of beached logs, and the density and richness of supratidal invertebrates. Armoring also affects the physical and biological composition and diversity of shoreline ecosystems and communities – altering the makeup of sediments, beach wrack, and invertebrates, for example. Less is known, however, about changes in the amount of variability – both over time and space – of these important ecological responses. Natural variation in physical and biological variables can itself be an indicator of ecosystem health and effectiveness of restoration. Working alongside citizen scientists, we found that beach wrack, beach logs, and supratidal invertebrates were not only more abundant and diverse at natural (never armored) strata compared to armored strata, but also had higher variation. In many, but not all cases, restoration recovered this variation. Importantly, we found that differences among sample sites, rather than across sample years, explained more of the variation in ecological responses. Because shoreline armoring is an inherently human activity, public perception of this variability is key to the social context of restoration success. Participation in data collection through citizen science endeavors is one way to encourage an appreciation for natural variability within and across landscapes. We implore that shoreline monitoring efforts should evaluate and communicate ecosystem variability as a key indicator of restoration success.
