13 - Investigation of sediment textural properties in New England salt marshes

Author Information

Tuscan OsbornFollow

Description/Abstract/Artist Statement

This study investigates how wetland environments reduce the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration is a natural process in which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the ground. Of the examined sites in Massachusetts (Summer 2024), three wetland environments had sediment cores extracted at varying distances from the tidal channel. The cores were split into sections (3cm intervals) then baked to measure porosity and bulk density to determine if the sample had higher amounts of sand or peat. Additionally, samples were ignited in a furnace to burn away organic matter. To differentiate between the sand and peat samples, their porosity and bulk density were measured. Sand has a higher bulk density and a lower porosity, while peat has a lower bulk density and higher porosity. The results show that the peat sediments had a higher loss on ignition (LOI) ratio than the sand sediments; LOI is the amount of organic material lost when a sample is ignited. The highest LOI average identified came from Harding’s Bay (HAR_10m) and the lowest LOI average from Bass Creek (BAS_10m) with Harding’s as a close second lowest (HAR_40m). To compare these two sample sites Harding’s Bay is a tidal marsh with higher LOI and lower bulk density in modern times compared to deeper past layers, which could be due to sea levels rising, and Bass Creek’s samples show loss in LOI, perhaps due to river course or environmental changes like wetland loss.

Presenting Author Name/s

Tuscan Osborn

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Joseph Tamborski

Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department

Ocean & Earth Sciences

College Affiliation

College of Sciences

Presentation Type

Poster

Disciplines

Earth Sciences | Geology | Soil Science

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13 - Investigation of sediment textural properties in New England salt marshes

This study investigates how wetland environments reduce the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration is a natural process in which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the ground. Of the examined sites in Massachusetts (Summer 2024), three wetland environments had sediment cores extracted at varying distances from the tidal channel. The cores were split into sections (3cm intervals) then baked to measure porosity and bulk density to determine if the sample had higher amounts of sand or peat. Additionally, samples were ignited in a furnace to burn away organic matter. To differentiate between the sand and peat samples, their porosity and bulk density were measured. Sand has a higher bulk density and a lower porosity, while peat has a lower bulk density and higher porosity. The results show that the peat sediments had a higher loss on ignition (LOI) ratio than the sand sediments; LOI is the amount of organic material lost when a sample is ignited. The highest LOI average identified came from Harding’s Bay (HAR_10m) and the lowest LOI average from Bass Creek (BAS_10m) with Harding’s as a close second lowest (HAR_40m). To compare these two sample sites Harding’s Bay is a tidal marsh with higher LOI and lower bulk density in modern times compared to deeper past layers, which could be due to sea levels rising, and Bass Creek’s samples show loss in LOI, perhaps due to river course or environmental changes like wetland loss.