DENDROCHRONOLOGY AND SEA LEVEL ALONG THE NEW JERSEY COAST

Increment tree borings taken in a marsh near Cape May, NJ, demonstrate that tree growth is influenced by salt-water intrusion. Eastern Red Cedars (Juniperus virginiana) grow in even-aged stands, which fringe marshes along the mid-Atlantic coast. It is our hypothesis that at Dennis Creek, trees have died as a result of salt encroachment over the past century with increased rates of intrusion around 1955 and 1987, possibly as a result of rising sea level. Living trees in the headlands provide evidence that the entire stand is roughly 110 years of age. The stands' death rate was determined by counting rings from both live and dead trees. Ring thickness was used to determine the health of the tree as a result of varying concentrations of salt water in their roots, with higher levels of freshwater (thicker rings) resulting in healthier trees. Plots of ring thickness vs. time are roughly compatible with plots of mean annual precipitation vs. time, and mean annual temperature vs. time, showing the direct correlation to overall climatic conditions and sea level changes.