Research underscores need for salt marsh restoration in recent study

A recently published study by a team of University of New England researchers and collaborators — led by an undergraduate first-author —highlights how restoration efforts are needed in salt marshes in the face of a changing climate to reverse the expansion of pools that hinder the ecological benefits of the coastal ecosystems.

The article “Widespread Expansion of Salt Marsh Pools Observed on Maine Salt Marshes since 2009” was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research — Earth Surface on Feb. 25. The paper, which was the second first-author article for UNE undergraduate student Katelyn DeWater (Marine Sciences, ’25), underscored the increasing need to restore salt marshes to provide habitat for threatened species, maintain a buffer to sea-level rise, and protect the critical carbon sinks the marshes provide.

The study — conducted by UNE students and faculty, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve — looked at 12 salt marshes in Maine between 2009 and 2021 using aerial imagery to quantify changes in the pool area and density. By analyzing aspects of the pools in those marshes, the researchers determined that Maine’s salt marshes have experienced a 16% increase in pool cover and pool expansion resulting from either sea-level rise or the historic practice of ditching for agricultural purposes. All told, the study showed that the expansion of pools results in a decrease in overall environmental and ecological quality.

Will Kochtitzky, Ph.D., an assistant professor at UNE in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs and a co-author on the paper, said the study showed for the first time how quickly pools are expanding and degrading Maine's marshes — a widespread problem that points to the need for marsh restoration.

“We are lucky in Maine to have so many marshes that host vegetation, numerous species of birds, and other animals,” said Kochtitzky, who uses geographic information systems (GIS) to study coastal landscapes and climate change. “We have a responsibility to do everything we can to safeguard those resources and preserve them, especially since humans have caused their decline.”

DeWater started working on the study in the summer of 2023 for her Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) project with Kochtitzky in UNE’s Coastal Research Laboratory. During that time, she hand-digitized more than 24,000 marsh pools and worked during subsequent semesters to analyze the data and write the paper for peer review.

The fact the study marked DeWater’s second first-author, peer-review article is a weighty achievement, one Kochtitzky called “truly remarkable.”

“And she has more on the way soon!,” Kochtitzky added. “We are lucky at UNE to have so many great opportunities for our students to engage in research in and out of the classroom and with amazing community partners.”

DeWater credited Kochtitzky for helping to guide her through the process of conducting the research and publishing the results saying he “taught me everything I know about GIS.”

“I am also proud that the results of my research will serve as a baseline for restoration projects at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, contributing to a greater application of the research,” DeWater said.