 |
|
Salt marshes in South Carolina and Georgia all in all make up a mere 200 mile strip of
coastline, however, they encompass a full 43% of salt marshes on the East Coast. The
vital habitat that they provide is not only important to plants and animals that live
in them, but they are also of the utmost importance in supporting large off fisheries
off of the coast. Salt marshes provide for some of the most productive ecosystems in
the world. They convert so much carbon dioxide to reduced carbon compounds, that in
this sense, they rival the production of rainforests. These reduced carbon compounds
that the marshes do create are what forms the basis of the food web that supports
uncountable species of aquatic life. This is just another testament to the vital
importance of salt marshes. Undoubtedly, their primary production is infinitely greater
than that of agricultural crops, a sad irony when one considers that some marshes were
undoubtedly drained in past years for the purpose of farming.
The ecological value of salt marshes increases their value to the states in which they are in twofold. They are not only very important habitats for wildlife, but the fisheries that they support are of incredible economic importance to costal states. They even affect the tourism economies of these states, in a more direct way than one may think. Because of their role in reducing costal erosion, (which will be discussed later) costal marshes help to keep beaches from eroding away and causing the need for expensive, un-natural beach replenishment programs to keep tourism money coming. Note the large boxes drawn in from the coastline; this hints at the great size of the watersheds that affect salt marshes. (graphics: http://www.geog.umd.edu/wetlands/gastudy.jpg, http://www.geog.umd.edu/wetlands/scstudy.jpg)
| |
|
