An Estimate of Shore Ice Action in a Spartina Tidal Marsh, St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada

Authors

  • Jean-Claude Dionne

Keywords:

Tidal marsh, shore ice, erosion, sedimentation, marsh clumps, St. Lawrence estuary

Abstract

Measurements made in a Spartina alterniflora tidal marsh along the St. Lawrence estuary provide a rough estimate of the role of shore ice in tidal marsh development in a periglacial region. Marsh clumps torn out and moved by ice floes and subsequently released throughout the marsh surface give a minimum value for the volume of debris removed annually by ice. In nine sample plots surveyed at Isle Verte, clumps released in the marsh by ice floes upon melting cover 0.9 to 16.5% of the area investigated, whereas the volume of clumps ranges from 1.9 to 99.6 cubic meters. Ice-borne clumps represent an important component of the sedimentary budget.

Author Biography

Jean-Claude Dionne

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Published

1989-04-10

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (1989): Journal of Coastal Research

Section

Articles

License

Authorization for personal use is granted by the Coastal Education and Research Foundation [CERF]. By submitting a manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright for their article is transferred to the publisher if the article is accepted for publication. Assignment of copyright is not required, however, from authors who work for organizations which do not permit such assignment, The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reprduce and distribute the article, inclduing reprints, photographic reproductions, microform, or any other reproductions of a similar nature, and translations.