Biochar Amendment on a Coastal Ecosystem: Effectiveness of Biochar on Stormwater Infiltration in Upland and Nutrient Removal in Living Shoreline

Delaware's Inland Bays face challenges due to excess of nutrients and considerable shoreline erosion. Additionally, stormwater runoff has emerged as a significant contributor to pollution to the bays, leading to compromised water quality for both aquatic ecosystems and recreational purposes. To challenge these issues, constructed living shorelines offers a natural approach to stabilize the shorelines, reduce erosion, and improve water quality. In our study, we applied biochar, a substance resembling charcoal produced from pyrolysis of wood waste, at two locations: an Upland area and a recently constructed Living Shoreline. We designated these locations as S1 and S2, respectively. Both S1 and S2 were divided into alternating treatment sections of 4% (w/w) biochar, and 0% (w/w) biochar (control). For S1, characterized by a 12-hour tidal cycle, the focus was on examining the impact of the biochar amendment on plant growth, nitrogen removal, and erosion reduction. The S2 site represents a meadow ecosystem where we planted a combination of native wildflowers and warm-season grasses. Unlike S1, S2 is unaffected by tidal cycles and the study aims to discern variations in infiltration rates with and without biochar. To our knowledge this is the first field application of biochar to a meadow ecosystem for studying the enhanced capture of overland flow.