Sanger, D. M., SC Sea Grant Consortium, Charleston, USA, denise.sanger@scseagrant.org
DiDonato, G. T., Hollings Marine Laboratory, Charleston, USA, guy.didonato@noaa.gov
Holland, A. F., Hollings Marine Laboratory, Charleston, USA, fred.holland@noaa.gov

TIDAL CREEK ECOSYSTEMS: SENTINEL HABITATS FOR ASSESSING THE CONSEQUENCES OF RAPID DEVELOPMENT ON SOUTHEASTERN COASTS

Meandering shallow tidal creeks are a dominant feature of Southeastern estuaries and provide nursery grounds for many fish and crustaceans. The shores of these creeks are also preferred sites for human development. Research throughout the Southeast has found linkages between surrounding watershed land use (e.g., impervious cover) and the ecological condition (i.e., physical-chemical and biological conditions) of headwater tidal creeks. This habitat has served as a platform for testing the new technologies and methods, including genomic and pathogenic measures, being developed in association with the Hollings Marine Laboratory Oceans and Human Health Center of Excellence. This research has shown that these headwater creeks have the potential to serve as sentinel habitats and a reliable testing platform for assessing the impact of watershed development on ecosystem and public health; however, most estuarine monitoring programs do not sample these habitats. Headwater tidal creeks are the appropriate scale to assess the impacts of land use change in the watershed as well as providing appropriate scale for making land use decisions.

Oral presentation

Presentation is given by student: No
Session #:120
Date: 03-03-2008
Time: 10:15