Standard Presentation (12 minutes) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2025 Conference

OzSETs: Monitoring vertical elevation trends in tidal wetlands around Australia   (119281)

Madeline Goddard 1 , Vicki Bennion 1 , Catherine Lovelock 2
  1. TERN, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  2. University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Tidal wetlands, mangroves and saltmarsh and their upland counterparts; supratidal forests, are important social and economic ecosystems yet are threatened by sea-level rise due to their low coastal elevation. Surface Elevation Tables (SETs) are mechanical levelling devices used in tandem with benchmarks that measure the relative elevation change of wetland sediments (Cahoon et al., 2000). Monitoring elevation change through time provides insight into the vulnerability of these coastal wetlands to sea level rise. Across Australia nearly 300 SETs are being monitored at over 30 sites (Saintilan et al., 2023). Ensuring these are consistently monitored using the same methodology allows for comparison and better management outcomes. The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) have funded a 3-year project will bring the SET network from discrete projects to a recognisable community of practice around Australia to a network contributing to and recognised as National Research Infrastructure (NRI). Long term elevation monitoring allows for assessment of vulnerability to SLR, carbon burial rates and to better informed management decisions.

 

  1. Cahoon, D.R., P.E. Marin, B.K. Black, and J.C. Lynch. (2000): A method for measuring vertical accretion, elevation, and compaction of soft, shallow-water sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 70 (5): pp. 1250–1253.
  2. Saintilan, N., Sun, Y., Lovelock, C.E., Rogers, K., Goddard, M., Hutley, L.B., Kelleway, J., Mosley, L., Dittmann, S., Cormier, N. and Lal, K.K., (2023): Vertical accretion trends in Australian tidal wetlands. Estuaries and Coasts, pp.1-14.