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Interview: What’s Damaging U.S.
Salt Marshes and Why It Matters

For centuries, salt marshes along the U.S. coast have been disappearing, with some experts estimating

MBL

Linda Deegan

that 70 percent have been lost to development, rising seas, and other threats. One factor scientists always thought marshes could withstand was nutrient enrichment — such as the flow of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers and septic systems. But a nine-year study led by Marine Biological Laboratory scientist Linda Deegan showed that an over abundance of nutrients may be contributing to the demise of these salt marshes. In a Yale Environment 360 interview, Deegan describes the implications of this study and the vital services that would be lost if marshes disappear — from nourishing marine species to providing a physical barrier for coastal communities during storms such as Hurricane Sandy.
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A Key Experiment to Probe the Future of Our Acidifying Oceans

What’s Damaging Marshes on U.S. Coast and Why It Matters

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A Defender of World’s Whales Sees Only a Tenuous Recovery

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South African photojournalist Adam Welz documents the harrowing relocation of six white rhinos to a region that has lost all its rhinos to poaching. View the gallery.

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