Salt marsh dieback

High salt marsh dieback, or salt marsh browning, is the primary force in salt marsh degradation in the high marsh. The general effect is that the plants in the marsh die off and brown, leaving dead organic matter, and ultimately open sediment. Without strong plant roots holding the sediment, these open areas of land erode, causing the salt marsh to retreat back to the mainland. Dieback zones lack their main producers, such as the salt marsh cord grass, or Spartina alterniflora, and ultimately become completely unproductive.

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