Carbon Sequestration in Restored Tidal Marshes
at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (BNWR) is a 28,000 acre refuge in Dorchester County on Maryland's Easter Shore. It is 1/3 marsh, 1/3 forest and 1/3 water. It contains over 1/3 of all tidal wetlands in Maryland and is a major stop along the Atlantic Flyway for migrating waterfowl. The refuge is a sanctuary for Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, osprey, and endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrels. Over 350 species of bird use the refuge annually. It has been designated a "Wetland of International Importance" by the Ramsar Convention and 1 of 6 priority wetland areas by North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The Nature Conservancy has named it one of the "Last Great Places".

The marsh is vanishing at an astonishing rate. 8000 acres (12 sq. miles) have been lost at a rate of 150 - 400 acres per year. These losses are due to the combined effects of salt water intrusion, subsidence, invasive species (through herbivory), and sea level rise. These losses will continue as sea levels continue to rise.

There is hope in a plan to restore the marsh. The US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers are investigating the use of clean dredged sediments (PDF) from the shipping channels in the Chesapeake Bay to restore and rebuild tidal marshes within the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (BNWR). Pilot projects were carried out in 1983 and 2003 to restore small acreages with dredged sediment.

The purpose of our study at BNWR is to evaluate the soils of these restored marshes. Specifically, we want to evaluate the ability of these marshes to accrete. Accreting, by accumulating organic soil material, will allow them to rise with sea-level thus sequestering carbon. This accumulated organic material also sequesters carbon.

September 12, 2008 Position Posting - Graduate Assistantship in Wetland Science
Full-time graduate research assistantship position is available for studies in wetland science.  The position is in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland College Park. Student will participate in and perform thesis research on a NOAA-funded study on the response of tidal marsh vegetation and soils to prescribed burns; the study will take place at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge, MD. This study is a component of a research program on marsh sustainability and carbon sequestration. More information...

Blackwater Links:

Mid Chesapeake Bay Wetland Restoration: Dr. Dixie Birch USFWS

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge - USFWS - Wetland Restoration

Initial Carbon Distribution in Restored Tidal Marshes at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge: Dr. Skye Wills UMCP

The Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP)

Baltimore Sun October 9th article about project by Tom Pelton

DOE Press Releases:

DOE-Funded Research at Maryland Marsh Aids Climate Change Solutions

Link to video interview regarding DOE-Funded Research (Windows Media file)