THE IMPACT OF TIDAL RESTRICTIONS ON SALT MARSH ECOSYSTEMS: AN ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROJECT ON THE LYMAN RESERVE

Salt marshes are vital coastal ecosystem that have been subjected to anthropogenic restrictions and nutrient input adversely impacting habitat. Massachusetts Maritime Academy undergraduate students have been monitoring tidal flow and salinity in the Lyman Reserve salt marsh in Wareham, MA since September 2018. Lyman Reserve has significant ecological importance as it contains Red Brook, which is one of the few coastal streams in Massachusetts that support anadromous fish and is home to one of the last remaining native sea-run brook trout fisheries in the eastern United States. Beginning in September 2020, we have also been measuring nitrates and phosphates in the surface waters on the restricted and unrestricted sides of the marsh, and have quantified diversity in vegetation and freshwater species on the restricted side of the marsh. The investigation is currently ongoing to determine if the marsh is influenced by the restriction. This study will help inform the Cape Cod community on the health of the salt marsh and if remediation methods are needed to restore the health of this vital ecosystem.

Keywords: salt marsh, tidal restrictions, eutrophication, diversity