Estuaries, Wetlands, and Global Climate Change
Estuaries and coastal wetlands are among the most ecologically valuable and economically important ecosystems on Earth, but also especially vulnerable to human pressures and climate change. Tidal wetlands are particularly rich in biodiversity and highly productive blue carbon ecosystems, known as "hot spots" of biogeochemical exchanges, large reservoirs of soil organic matter, and important sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to estuaries and coastal oceans. However, there is presently very little understood about the biotic and abiotic processes in these large carbon reservoirs (marsh soils) that regulate the quantity and quality of DOM exported to estuaries, and ultimately the processing of DOM in the estuarine water column. Research in our Lab integrates field measurements with advanced remote sensing observations and new mechanistic carbon cycling modeling to address key research hypotheses that are critical for understanding the role of marsh soils and tidal wetland-estuary margins as buffers, reactors, and transformers of dissolved organic carbon and nutrients. Results from these studies are used to improve coastal water quality assessment, guide sustainable management of these highly valuable natural resources, and predict potential responses of wetlands to future pressures. 
Recent Publications and Related Links: 
  • * Menendez A. and Tzortziou M (2024) Driving factors of colored dissolved organic matter dynamics across a complex urbanized estuary, STOTEN, Volume 921, 2024, 171083, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171083.
  • Neale, P.J., Megonigal, J.P., Tzortziou, M., Canuel, E.A., Pondell, C.R. and Morrissette, H., 2023. Sorption of Colored vs Noncolored Organic Matter by Tidal Marsh Soils. EGUsphere, 2023, pp.1-30.
  • *Copple S. P., Peteet D., Balk D., Jones B., Tzortziou M. (2023) Marsh archive reveals human population history and future implications for estuarine health in Long Island Sound. Science of The Total Environment, 164885
  • *Knobloch A., P. Neale, M. Tzortziou, E. Canuel (2022) Seasonal and tidal controls of the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter at the marsh creek-estuarine interface. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 278, 108124
  • *Menendez, A., Tzortziou, M., Neale, P., Megonigal, P., Powers, L., Schmitt-Kopplin, P., & Gonsior, M. (2022). Strong dynamics in tidal marsh DOC export in response to natural cycles and episodic events from continuous monitoring. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 127, e2022JG006863. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JG006863
  • *Shelton S., P. Neale, *A. Pinsonneault, M. Tzortziou, 2021. Biodegradation and Photodegradation of Vegetation-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter in Tidal Marsh Ecosystems. Estuaries and Coasts (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-021-00982-7
  • *Lamb B., M. Tzortziou, K. McDonald, 2021. A Fused Radar-Optical Approach for Mapping Wetlands and Deepwaters of the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast Regions of the United States. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 2495. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132495

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