Salt marsh decomposition rates using Tea Bag Index in two Southeastern MA marshes in the towns of Fairhaven and Dartmouth from 2020-2022.

Natural disturbances, sea level rise, and historic human impacts to salt marshes have increased impounded water on marsh surfaces, resulting in vegetation loss and the associated loss of important ecosystem services such as carbon storage. Runnels are a climate adaptation technique designed to restore salt marsh habitat by reestablishing a tidal connection between impounded water and a nearby drainage feature. However, panne formation and runnel restoration can alter carbon decomposition. We measured decomposition using the Tea Bag Index at two marshes, one in Fairhaven and the other in Dartmouth, MA. We repeated measurements for three years: 1 year prior to runnel creation, and two years post. We measured decomposition at three spatial zones, the center of the panne, landward of the panne, and seaward of the panne.自然干扰、海平面上升及历史人类活动对盐沼的影响，导致盐沼表面滞留积水增加，进而引发植被退化，并连带丧失碳储存等重要生态系统服务功能。潮沟修复是一类气候适应技术，其通过重建滞留积水与邻近排水设施间的潮汐连通性，以恢复盐沼栖息地。然而，洼塘（panne）形成与潮沟修复活动会改变碳分解过程。本研究采用茶袋指数法（Tea Bag Index），在美国马萨诸塞州费尔黑文与达特茅斯的两处盐沼开展碳分解测定实验，实验周期为三年：分别在潮沟开挖前1年以及开挖后2年进行重复测量。研究同时在三处空间区域开展碳分解测定：洼塘中心、洼塘向陆侧以及洼塘向海侧。