That's what The Academy of Natural Sciences has begun investigating thanks to a prestigious $700,000 Science to Achieve Results grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The STAR funding competition supports research to assess the potential consequences of climate change on ecosystem function.
With the 3-year grant, Drs. Melanie Vile and David Velinsky of the Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research are assessing how the ecologically important tidal freshwater marshes of the Delaware Estuary are likely to respond to the predicted rise in sea level and the resulting intrusion of salt water into freshwater environments. A rise in sea level is one of the most severe threats to coastal environments such as the Delaware. Current estimates indicate that as the sea rises, saltwater will move upstream by between 6 and 12 miles.
Vile and Velinsky will study the potential consequences of this increased salinity on tidal marshes. Tidal marshes provide many valuable ecosystem services. They buffer storm and floodwaters, slow shoreline erosion, absorb excess nutrients before they reach oceans and estuaries, and provide nursery habitat for fishes.
The Patrick Center for Environmental Research, established within The Academy of Natural Sciences in 1947, is a leader in watershed research, management and restoration. The Patrick Center includes scientists and technicians with expertise in all types of aquatic biota, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, biogeochemistry, and GIS applications. For more information, see http://www.acnatsci.org/research/pcer/index.htmkl.
The Academy is located at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for children ages 3-12 and students with college I.D., $8.25 for seniors and military personnel, and free for children under 3.
The Academy of Natural Sciences, an international museum of natural history operating since 1812, undertakes research and public education that focuses on the environment and its diverse species. The mission of the Academy is to create the basis for a healthy and sustainable planet through exploration, research and education.