Healthy tidal marshes support the food webs that underpin our fisheries; they mitigate the impact of coastal storms, and they improve water quality. However, as sea level rises, marshes are at risk from “drowning. ” To survive, marshes must maintain their elevation relative to surrounding waters. They do this, in part, through accretion, a process by which sediment suspended in the water accumulates on the marsh ’s surface. For marshes to survive, accretion must keep pace with sea level rise. Making decisions to support marsh sustainability depends on the ability to accurately measure suspended sediment concentrations, yet current monitoring programs lack well-tested, effective approaches to doing so. To address this need, a team led by the San Francisco Bay Reserve developed a protocol to assess suspended sediment in tidal marshes and improve understanding of sediment dynamics.

This website is the primary output of the 2013 Collaborative Research project and contains information on the project background and team, documents from working group meetings, and workshop presentations and materials.