Influence of Salt Marsh Pond Expansion on Salt Marsh Platform Evolution:A Case Study of New England
TAN Boyuan
FITZGERALD Duncan M
HUGHES Zoe
TIGGES Sophia
Abstract：This study selects the large marshes on Plum Island,Massachusetts as a case.By using historical aerial images of 1974,2008 and 2021,the paper tracks the spatial pattern and temporal changes of salt marsh ponds and explores the impact of their expansion on the stability of the marsh plane.For this purpose,in this study,the boundaries of the pond were delineated and classified by area by using ArcGIS Pro,and key indicators such as the expansion rate,the direction of centroid migration and area change were calculated accordingly.The results show that over the past half century,these ponds have undergone a dynamic evolution process of expansion first and then partial recovery.The vegetation recovery in some local areas has even offset the area loss caused by expansion,showing a net recovery trend.Wind and wave erosion,freeze-thaw action and peat decomposition jointly drive the expansion and direction change of the pond.Map analysis further reveals that the vegetation restoration at the edge of the pond is closely related to the drainage effect of early ditching or tidal connectivity.Even under partially drained conditions,vegetation can gradually recover.Drawing on the mature research framework of the New England region has significant reference value for the management and restoration of salt marshes in China.
Keywords：Salt marsh pondExpansionEvolutionHistorical aerial imagesVegetation restorationEdge erosion
Publication Date：2025-12-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-12-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 59-66 )