Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations
A blackwater river from sea to source · By Dirk Frankenberg
Salt marsh invasion
Figure 10. Salt marsh invading a forest, a sign of rising sea level (Photograph by the author. More about the photograph)
Whereas figure 9 seemed to show trees invading a marsh, figure 10 shows salt marsh invading a forest. The Juncos marsh shown here has grown up under the trees of a forest community known as the Estuarine Fringe Loblolly Pine Forest. This invasion is quite common now and is generally interpreted as a sign of rising sea level. As you can see, the trees are dead or dying and the marsh is growing actively in areas where live trees no longer occur. In the background you can see a few pines, the signature species of this relatively rare forest community.
