Sustainability of coastal forests

Global change is having uneven consequences for ecosystems, and those at the points of transition are more likely to experience transformations. Deltaic wetlands are young landscapes in geologic transition themselves. In the delta of the Mississippi River, historic management of sediment and water have resulted in land subsidence that have created a model for future changes in coastal regions globally. In this talk, I will review the geological and historical palate of these remarkable and important ecosystems and highlight recent research addressing how forested wetlands react to hydrologic change. The best projections suggest that sustainability will depend largely on whether Mississippi River water is enough to maintain freshwater conditions, and that these forests can persist—albeit in a low-density state—in the face of increased flooding alone.