Chapter 1 



SEA LEVEL RISE AND 

 WETLAND LOSS: AN OVERVIEW 



by 



James G. Titus 



Office of Policy Analysis 



U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 



Washington, D.C. 20460 



INTRODUCTION 



Along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, beyond the reach of the ocean 

 waves, lies a nearly unbroken chain of marshes and swamps. Part land and part water, our coastal 

 "wetlands" support both terrestrial and aquatic animals, and boast biological productivities far 

 greater than found on dry land. 



Many birds, alligators, and turtles spend their entire lifetimes commuting between wetlands 

 and adjacent bodies of water, while land animals that normally occupy dry land visit the wetlands 

 to feed. Herons, eagles, sandpipers, ducks, and geese winter in marshes or rest there while 

 migrating. The larvae of shrimp, crab, and other marine animals find shelter in the marsh from 

 larger animals. Bluefish, flounder, oysters, and clams spend all or part of their lives feeding on 

 other species supported by the marsh. Some species of birds and fish may have evolved with a 

 need to find a coastal marsh or swamp anywhere along the coast (Teal and Teal 1969). Wetlands 

 also act as cleansing mechanisms for ground and surface waters. 



The importance of coastal wetlands was not always appreciated. For over three centuries, 

 people have drained and filled marshes and swamps to create dry land for agriculture and urban 

 development. Flood control levees and navigation channels have prevented fresh water, nutrients, 

 and sediment from reaching wetlands, resulting in their conversion to open water. Marshes have 

 often been used as disposal sites for channel dredging, city dumps, and hazardous waste sites. 



In the 1960s, however, the public began to recognize the importance of environmental 

 quality in general and these ecosystems. In 1972, the U.S. Congress added Section 404 to the 

 federal Clean Water Act, which strengthened the requirement that anyone wishing to fill a coastal 

 wetland obtain a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, and added the requirement of 

 approval by the Environmental Protection Agency. Several coastal states enacted legislation to 

 sharply curtail destruction of coastal wetlands. 



These restrictions have substantially reduced conversion of wetlands to dry land in coastal 

 areas. The rate of coastal wetland loss declined from 1000 to 20 acres per year in Maryland 

 (Redelfs 1983), from 3100 to 50 acres per year in New Jersey (Tiner 1984), and from 444 to 20 

 acres per year in Delaware (Hardisky and Klemas 1983). The rate of conversion to dry land in 

 South Carolina has been reduced to about 15 acres per year (South Carolina Coastal Council 

 1985). 1 



