Lifespan of marsh units in Eastern Shore of Virginia salt marshes

The lifespans of salt marshes in Atlantic-facing Eastern Shore of Virginia are calculated based on estimated sediment supply and sea-level rise (SLR) predictions, following the methodology of Ganju and others (2020). The salt marsh delineations are from Ackerman and others (2023). The SLR predictions are local estimates corresponding to increases of 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 meter in global mean sea level (GMSL) by 2100, as projected by Sweet and others (2022). This work has been a part of the USGS’s effort to expand the national assessment of coastal change hazards and forecast products to coastal wetlands. The aim is to equip federal, state and local managers with tools to estimate the vulnerability and ecosystem service potential of these wetlands. For this purpose, the response and resilience of coastal wetlands to physical factors need to be assessed in terms of the ensuing change to their vulnerability and ecosystem services. (The data release containing lifespan estimates for the Chesapeake Bay-facing portion of the Eastern Shore of Virginia is found here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FSPWSF.)