Inland Salt Marsh
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An inland salt marsh is a saltwater marsh located away from the coast. It is formed and maintained in areas when
evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) refers to the combined processes which move water from the Earth's surface (open water and ice surfaces, bare soil and vegetation) into the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of w ...
exceeds
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
and/or when
sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...
- and
chloride The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...
-laden
groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...
is released from natural
brine Brine (or briny water) is a high-concentration solution of salt (typically sodium chloride or calcium chloride) in water. In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawat ...
aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
s. Its vegetation is dominated by halophytic plant communities.


Overview

Inland salt marshes (ISMs) are rare, non-tidal
wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
s which form either due to the influence of saline groundwater and proximate springs and seeps or from
evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) refers to the combined processes which move water from the Earth's surface (open water and ice surfaces, bare soil and vegetation) into the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of w ...
exceeding
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
. Primarily located in the
Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...
of the US, they are dominantly composed of salt-tolerant, halophytic plant communities including the invasive '' Phragmites australis'' (common reed). Anthropogenic impacts on brine springs have decreased their already low global coverage and have led to their classification as G1 critically imperiled ecosystems. Of note, inland salt marshes are globally occurring, though this article primarily discusses ISMs from the US and Europe.


Flora and fauna

If vegetation is at all present, ISMs are typically dominated by halophytic vegetative communities, though species-specific composition may vary among marshes. In a study quantifying spatial variability of ISM vegetation, New York ISMs were found to be composed of '' Phalaris arundinacea'' (reed canary grass), ''Typha'' × ''glauca'''', Lythrum salicaria'' (purple loostrife)'','' and invasive '' Phragmites australis'' (common reed). Rapidly invading US ISMs, ''Phragmites australis'' has been shown to associate with highly saline areas with short hydroperiods, suggesting high water levels dilute salinity and decrease photosynthetic activity of this halophytic species. Michigan ISMs were found to be mainly composed of ''E. parvula'' and ''S. americanus,'' with little commonality with New York ISMs. Vegetation of inland salt marshes have also been shown to reflect environmental conditions. A recently accepted European study provides detailed analyses on species associations with
salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...
,
moisture Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Moisture is defined as water in the adsorbed or absorbed phase. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some comme ...
, light availability, and
nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...
content. Analyses suggest that certain ISM species have specific environmental requirements, and knowledge of which can better inform salt marsh conservation efforts accordingly.  


Soil chemistry

Inland salt marshes can have extremely dynamic and harsh soil chemistry conditions. Much of the marsh is saturated with a layer of
sodium chloride Sodium chloride , commonly known as Salt#Edible salt, edible salt, is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. It is transparent or translucent, brittle, hygroscopic, and occurs a ...
, failing to sustain much plant life that can not tolerate such high
salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...
environments. For halophytic plants which can colonize this harsh soil, nitrogen content is also a
limiting factor A limiting factor is a variable of a system that causes a noticeable change in output or another measure of a type of system. The limiting factor is in a pyramid shape of organisms going up from the producers to consumers and so on. A factor not l ...
. This limitation is increased when plants are inundated with water, as higher levels can dilute the soil and reduce availability of
nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...
and
ammonium Ammonium is a modified form of ammonia that has an extra hydrogen atom. It is a positively charged (cationic) polyatomic ion, molecular ion with the chemical formula or . It is formed by the protonation, addition of a proton (a hydrogen nucleu ...
sources of nitrogen. Many studies have also investigated the role of
soil chemistry Soil chemistry is the study of the Chemistry, chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and Environment (biophysical), environmental factors. In the early 1870s a consulting chemist to the R ...
in the productivity and community structures of ISMs. For instance, a study on an Ohio salt marsh found '' Salicornia europea'' (common glasswort) increased production when fertilized with nitrogen, and its different growth forms may be induced by varying soil nitrogen concentrations. Conversely, '' Hordeum jubatum'' (foxtail barley) and '' Atriplex triangularis'' (orache) were found to be limited by another factor other than nitrogen availability. In other words, different species are limited by different factors within an inland salt marsh ecosystem, providing competitive advantages and allowing for the occupation of different niches. There have also been efforts to apply GIS and
remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...
methods to characterize the
soil chemistry Soil chemistry is the study of the Chemistry, chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and Environment (biophysical), environmental factors. In the early 1870s a consulting chemist to the R ...
of inland salt marshes.


Conservation and management

Inland salt marshes are quite rare and have unique conservation needs, yet there is a severe lack of research on these ecosystems. Protected by the European
Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
network and classified as a G1 category endangered ecosystem, there is a strong need to protect these rare, decreasing ecosystems, yet a lack of available research supports these conservation initiatives. One study aimed to address this gap with a case study in Central Europe; interdisciplinary analysis of various salt marsh conditions suggested that regular flooding of the inland salt marsh with nearby
brine Brine (or briny water) is a high-concentration solution of salt (typically sodium chloride or calcium chloride) in water. In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawat ...
, in this case from a nearby health center, could be used to restore endangered inland salt marshes.{{Cite journal , last1=Lubińska-Mielińska , first1=Sandra , last2=Kamiński , first2=Dariusz , last3=Hulisz , first3=Piotr , last4=Krawiec , first4=Arkadiusz , last5=Walczak , first5=Maciej , last6=Lis , first6=Marta , last7=Piernik , first7=Agnieszka , date=2022-04-01 , title=Inland salt marsh habitat restoration can be based on artificial flooding , journal=Global Ecology and Conservation , language=en , volume=34 , pages=e02028 , doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02028 , s2cid=246190293 , issn=2351-9894, doi-access=free , bibcode=2022GEcoC..3402028L  


See also

* Sor (geomorphology)


References

Soil Salt marshes