Charles A. Simenstad

Restoration of the Mississippi Delta: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed the vulnerability of coastal communities and how human activities that caused deterioration of the Mississippi Deltaic Plain (MDP) exacerbated this vulnerability. The MDP formed by dynamic interactions between river and coast at various temporal and spatial scales, and human activity has reduced these interactions at all scales. Restoration efforts aim to re-establish this dynamic interaction, with emphasis on reconnecting the river to the deltaic plain. Science must guide MDP restoration, which will provide insights into delta restoration elsewhere and generally into coasts facing climate change in times of resource scarcity.

Magnification of secondary production by kelp detritus in coastal marine ecosystems.

Kelps are highly productive seaweeds found along most temperate latitude coastlines, but the fate and importance of kelp production to nearshore ecosystems are largely unknown. The trophic role of kelp-derived carbon in a wide range of marine organisms was assessed by a natural experiment. Growth rates of benthic suspension feeders were greatly increased in the presence of organic detritus (particulate and dissolved) originating from large benthic seaweeds (kelps). Stable carbon isotope analysis confirmed that kelp-derived carbon is found throughout the nearshore food web.

Aleuts, Sea Otters and Alternate Stable-State Communities

Reexamination of stratified faunal components of a prehistoric Aleut midden excavated on Amchitka Island, Alaska, indicates that Aleut prey items changed dramatically during 2500 years of aboriginal occupation. Recent ecological studies in the Aleutian Islands have shown the concurrent existence of two alternate stable nearshore communities, one dominated by macroalgae, the other by epibenthic herbivores, which are respectively maintained by the presence or absence of dense sea otter populations. Thus, rather than cultural shifts in food preference, the changes in Aleut prey were probably the result of local overexploitation of sea otters by aboriginal Aleuts.

Functional Equivalency Trajectories of the Restored Gog‐Le‐Hi‐Te Estuarine Wetland

Assessing performance of restored and created wetlands for compensatory mitigation and restoration poses a mismatch between long-term processes and the short- term expediency of management decisions. If they were predictable, patterns in the temporal development of important wetland processes could reduce long-term uncertainty of the outcome of restoration projects. To test our ability to predict long-term trends and patterns in the development of a restored wetland based on the first 7 yr of its development, we analyzed 16 ecosystem functional attributes of the Gog-Le-Hi-Te Wetland, in the Puyallup River estuary, Puget Sound, Washington, USA. This estuarine wetland system was restored to tidal inundation in 1986. Only a few of the 16 ecosystem attributes analyzed showed functional trajectories toward equivalency with natural wetlands, and many were incon- clusive or suggested disfunction relative to reference wetlands. Natural variability among reference sites also inhibited our ability to interpret an expected asymptote in developmental trajectories. The ability of wetland managers to assess compensatory-mitigation success over short- term (e.g., regulatory) timeframes depends upon the selection of wetland attributes that can predict long-term trends in the development of the restored/created system. However, we are hampered by a basic lack of long-term data sets describing the patterns, trends, and variability in natural wetland responses to disturbance, as well as natural variability in wetland attributes in presumably mature wetland communities. Ultimately, it may be nec- essary to supplant our descriptive means of assessing functional equivalency with simple, controlled manipulative experiments or assays, standardized across restoration/mitigation and reference sites.

THE ROLE OF PUGET SOUND AND WASHINGTON COASTAL ESTUARIES IN THE LIFE HISTORY OF PACIFIC SALMON: AN UNAPPRECIATED FUNCTION

Washington State has approximately 100 diverse estuaries, ranging from the more classic coastal estuaries to Puget Sound, a continuum of estuaries with transitional habitats. Of the five Pacific salmon species, chum and chinook utilize these estuaries most extensively. Estimated residence times of individual juvenile salmon range from 4 days (chum salmon) to 6 months (chinook) while individual residence times of adults range from 1–6 weeks. Some salmon populations may, however, remain within Puget Sound until maturity. Juveniles of all species utilize neritic habitats, but chum and chinook also use shallow, sublittoral habitats. Abundant, uniquely estuarine prey organisms are eaten by juveniles of all species, although less so by pink, sockeye, and coho, and contribute to high growth rates in estuaries. Significant predation on juveniles in estuaries has yet to be documented. We hypothesize that Pacific salmon use Washingtons estuaries for: 1) productive foraging, 2) physiological transition, and 3) refugia from predators. These functions have probably changed due to salmon culture practices and alterations of estuarine habitat, and it is possible these changes could adversely impact salmon growth and survival. The importance of estuaries to salmon production should be more carefully considered in estuary and salmon management.

Historical changes in the Columbia River Estuary

Historical changes in the hydrology, sedimentology, and physical oceanography of the Columbia River Estuary have been evaluated with a combination of statistical, cartographic, and numerical-modelling techniques. Comparison of data digitized from US Coast and Geodetic Survey bathymetric surveys conducted in the periods 1867–1875, 1926–1937, and 1949–1958 reveals that large changes in the morphology of the estuary have been caused by navigational improvements (jetties, dredged channels, and pile dikes) and by the diking and filling of much of the wetland area. Lesser changes are attributable to natural shoaling and erosion. There has been roughly a 15% decrease in tidal prism and a net accumulation of about 68 × 106m3 of sediment in the estuary. Large volumes of sediment have been eroded from the entrance region and deposited on the continental shelf and in the balance of the estuary, contributing to formation of new land. The bathymetric data indicate that, ignoring erosion at the entrance, 370 to 485 × 106m3 of sediment has been deposited in the estuary since 1868 at an average rate of about 0.5 cm y−1, roughly 5 times the rate at which sea level has fallen locally since the turn of the century. Riverflow data indicate that the seasonal flow cycle of the Columbia River has been significantly altered by regulation and diversion of water for irrigation. The greatest changes have occurred in the last thirty years. Flow variability over periods greater than a month has been significantly damped and the net discharge has been slightly reduced. These changes in riverflow are too recent to be reflected in the available in the available bathymetric data. Results from a laterally averaged, multiple-channel, two-dimensional numerical flow model (described in Hamilton, 1990) suggest that the changes in morphology and riverflow have reduced mixing, increased stratification, altered the response to fortnightly (neap-spring) changes in tidal forcing, and decreased the salinity intrusion length and the transport of salt into the estuary. The overall effects of human intervention in the physical processes of the Columbia River Estuary (i.e. decrease in freshwater inflow, tidal prism, and mixing; increase in flushing time and fine sediment deposition, and net accumulation of sediment) are qualitatively similar to those observed in less energetic and more obviously altered estuarine systems. A concurrent reduction in wetland habitats has resulted in an estimated 82% reduction in emergent plant production and a 15% reduction in benthic macroalgae production, a combined production loss of 51,675 metric tons of organic carbon per year. This has been at least partially compensated by a large increase in the supply of riverine detritus derived from freshwater phytoplankton primary production. Comparison of modern and estimated preregulation organic carbon budgets for the estuary indicates a shift from a food web based on comparatively refractory macrodetritus derived from emergent vegetation to one involving more labile microdetritus derived from allochthonous phytoplankton. The shift has been driven by human-induced changes to the physical environment of the estuary. While this is a relatively comprehensive study of historical physical changes, it is incomplete in that the sediment budget is still uncertain. More precise quantification of the modern estuarine sediment budget will require both a better understanding of the fluvial input and dredging export terms and a sediment tranport model designed to explain historical changes in the sediment budget. Oceanographic studies to better determine the mechanisms leading to the formation of the turbidity maximum are also needed. The combination of cartography and modelling used in this study should be applicable in other systems where large changes in morphology have occurred in historical time.

Ecological assessment criteria for restoring anadromous salmonid habitat in Pacific Northwest estuaries

Restoration of estuarine habitats is essential for the conservation and recovery of depressed Pacific salmon populations. However, assessing the functions of recently restored habitat poses a number of problems because of the transitory occurrence of salmonids in any one location. We propose assessment criteria and metrics that are based on the habitat’s capacity, opportunity, and realized function to enhance survivability of juvenile salmon. Because of the paucity of data relating capacity and opportunity attributes to realized function (e.g. growth, consumption rate, survival), there continues to be a need for manipulative experiments to assess the developmental status of restoration sites. Such a self-monitoring approach of letting the fish diagnose the ecological state of restoration would effectively address the small-scale, site-specific assessment goals and criteria, but ignores the larger-scale issues relating to the ability of diverse salmon species and life histories to occupy estuarine habitat landscapes. If coastal restoration is going to contribute the recovery of anadromous salmonid populations, a landscape perspective is fundamental to restoration planning, implementation, and particularly assessment.

The effects of introduced water hyacinth on habitat structure, invertebrate assemblages, and fish diets

The South American floating aquatic plant water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has a history of worldwide invasions, including a 1904 introduction into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. The native pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) occupies similar habitats in the Delta and is extensively used by resident invertebrates and fish. We sought to discover if an invader would be functionally equivalent to the native plant, by asking whether the encroadhing hyacinth modified the invertebrate assemblage structure and fish-invertebrate food web relative to pennywort. We sampled epiphytic, epibenthic, and benthic invertebrates, and plant canopy insects in patches of hyacinth and pennywort, and analyzed fish diets at three sites in the Delta during 1998. We also measured habitat structure (leaf density, root biomass, and surface area). In 1999, following control and absence of hyacinth, we again measured epiphytic invertebrates in pennywort. We found differences between hyacinth and pennywort in structure, associated invertebrates, and fish diets. Most measurements inferred functional non-equivalency between hyacinth and pennywort, although some functional equivalency and natural variation existed. Leaf and insect densities were significantly higher in pennywort and there were also significant differences in insect assemblage compositions. Hyacinth roots in the water column had significantly more surface area. Densities of epibenthic and benthic aquatic invertebrates were typically greater in pennywort and taxonomic compositions of aquatic invertebrate assemblages showed significant differences. Amphipods and isopods living epiphytically in the root masses were particularly abundant, including several newly discovered introduced species: the amphipodCrangonyx floridanus and the isopodsCaecidotea racovitai andAsellus hilgendorfii. The native amphipodHyalella azteca was more abundant in pennywort and heavily preyed upon by fish, while the non-indigenousC. floridanus was more abundant in hyacinth and not prevalent in fish diets. The introduction of hyacinth to the Delta has caused significant ecological alterations in the surrounding community, due to hyacinth being functionally different from native patches of pennywort.

Fish Distribution, Abundance, and Behavior along City Shoreline Types in Puget Sound

Abstract Shoreline modifications, such as bulkheads, riprap, and overwater structures, have altered many of the natural habitats in nearshore urbanized areas surrounding coastal cities, including those in Puget Sound, Washington. The effects of such structures on ecological processes are poorly known, especially those impacting juvenile salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. The goal of our study was to compare the relative abundance and behavior of juvenile salmonids and other fishes along various modified and undeveloped shoreline types. We used enclosure nets and snorkel surveys to sample fishes during high tides in areas adjacent to shore at five main habitat types: cobble beach, sand beach, riprap extending into the upper intertidal zone, deep riprap extending into the subtidal zone, and the edge of overwater structures. Bottom-dwelling fishes exhibited the only significant differences in density among cobble beach, sand beach, and riprap that extended into the upper intertidal zone. This suggests that substrat...

Foraging by juvenile salmon in a restored estuarine wetland

The functional value of a restored estuarine wetland as a foraging area for juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) and fall chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) was evaluated during the spring seaward migrations of each species in 1987 and 1988. During both years, fish foraged selectively. While temporarily residing in the restored wetland, both salmon selected primarily chironomid insects (midge larvae, pupae, and adults) over all other organisms considered available prey. A detritus-based food chain (detritus-chironomids-juvenile chum salmon or chinook salmon) suggests that the restored wetland provides productive foraging habitat for migrating juvenile chum and fall chinook salmon during their early residency in the estuary. However, the equivalency of foraging in restored or created estuarine wetlands compared to foraging in altered riverine or natural habitats remains untested.