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Salt marshes depend heavily on natural tides and erosive functions to control movement
and replenishment of sediment and nutrients. A feature called the Georgia Bight runs
down the southern Atlantic coast from the Santee Delta to Jacksonville Florida. Within
the Bight, tides control the movement of organic and inorganic sediments, which compose
shoals and ebb tide deltas. Naturally, an ebb tide delta will slowly "bend" down current,
depositing the nutrient rich sediments it contains on the up current side of nearby barrier
islands. This is the major source of nutrients to salt marshes on barrier islands.
This natural current and nutrient flow is interrupted when man tries to intervene by
building jetties, dredging inlets etc. In cases like these, the down current islands
and associated salt marshes are starved of the nutrients that they depend on to support
their habitat. The leading problem that contributes to this type of erosion problem is the great increase in residential, commercial, recreational, and industrial costal development that continues to take place. Even more worrisome than the development itself is the fact that very little has been done to regulate or even monitor the problem. The only major laws that have been enacted include the Shore Assistance Act of 1979 and the Costal Marshlands Protection Act of 1970. Unfortunately, neither of these laws do anything to curb salt marsh degradation before it happens; they are only reactionary, dealing with problems as they arise. Also, the National Wetlands Inventory Program, run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service exists, however, it mainly plays a passive role in that it is only involved with mapping wetlands and gathering other data. (Graphic: http://www.assateague.com/mead-cg.html )
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