Chapter 3 



NEW JERSEY CASE STUDY 



by 

 Timothy W. Kana, William C. Eiser, 

 Bart J. Baca, and Mark L. Williams 

 Coastal Science & Engineering, Inc. 



P.O. Box 8056 

 Columbia, South Carolina 29202 



INTRODUCTION 



We applied the same method developed for Charleston to the area around Tuckerton, New 

 Jersey. We gathered data on the vegetation at various elevations within the marsh, and then 

 developed a composite transect representing an average profile of the area. Using this 

 information and estimates of the sediment provided by nearby marshes, we then estimated the 

 shifts in wetland communities and net loss of marsh acreage associated with three possible 

 scenarios of sea level rise for the year 2075: the current sea level trend and worldwide rises in sea 

 level of 66 and 138 centimeters (cm) (2.2 and 4.5 ft) by 2075, which would imply rises of 87 and 

 159 cm (2.9 and 5.2 ft) around South Central New Jersey, allowing for local effects. While 

 emphasizing site-specific data, the results presented in this study provide some interesting 

 contrasts with higher tidal range areas, which should prove useful in studies of other wetlands in 

 microtidal settings. 



Numerous researchers have surveyed the distribution of plants and species diversity within 

 intertidal salt marshes throughout the United States (Teal 1958; Wilson 1962; Good 1965; Stroud 

 and Cooper 1968; Reimold et al. 1975; Turner 1976; and Nixon 1982). It was not the intent of this 

 study, or of the Charleston study, to provide a detailed species inventory or a refined model of 

 marsh zonation and primary productivity. Rather, our concern was to develop some applicable 

 relationships between the predominant marsh species and corresponding intertidal elevations. 

 Our field surveys were site-specific for the Tuckerton/Little Egg Harbor area but can be applied 

 generally to other microtidal marsh environments by normalizing absolute elevations for the 

 local tide range. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDY AREA 



The study area encompasses the town of Tuckerton, Little Egg Harbor Inlet, and Long 

 Beach Island, New Jersey (Figure 3-1). To facilitate our analysis, we chose boundaries to coincide 

 with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic map of Tuckerton. The total area covered is 

 14,000 hectares (34,700 acres). 



Major elements of the study area are the mainland surrounding Tuckerton (northwest 

 portion of the quadrangle); the barrier lagoons of Great Bay (southwest portion) and Little Egg 

 Harbor (northeast portion); and the barrier spits of Long Beach Island, Little Egg Inlet, Beach 

 Haven Inlet, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southeast portion. 



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