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outline for VCR book

cHAPTER OUTLINE FOR I.4

Robert R Christian, Professor
East Carolina University
Biology
Howell S-105 Greenville, NC 27858 (919) 328-1835
                             FAX: (919) 328-4178
Bitnet: BICHRIST@ECUVM1   Internet: BICHRIST@ECUVM.CIS.ECU.EDU

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Bob,  Here is the latest outline for the book, part I.IV.  Let's discuss.  Mark



Section I.  VCR as a landscape

IV.  Landscape units along a transect.

A.  Beaches and Dunes - Craig Kochel, Bucknell University
1.  Introduction
     a.  Mid Atlantic barrier island geomorphology (general
overview - brief with references)
          1.  Depaositonal environmentals, landforms, and
ecolsystems
               A.  Overieve and spatial variation along the VCR
          2.  Major sediment transport processes
               A.  Tidal inlets
               B.  Overwash
               C.  Longshore currents
               D.  Eolian
     b.  Role of the active sand region - the beach and dunes
(perspective)
2.  Beaches at VCR
     a.  Beach morhology
          1.  Overview and spatial variation
          2.  Sand sorces and supply - sand starved, linkaeges to
the north
     b.  Beach morphodynamics
          1.  Wave, tide, and current climate (genral ranges,
variations)
          2.  Beach morphology (based primarily upon observation
at washover sites)
               A.  Beach profile and features
               B.  States and form, stability, seasonality
               C.  Storm response
          3.  Sedimentaology
3.  Dunes at VCR
     A.  Dune variety and distribution (brief overview and
classficiation)
          1.  Berm and washover areas (ephemeral)
          2.  Foredune areas
          3.  Stable interior and maritime forest areas
          4.  Beach-ridge and inlet margin areas
          5.  Pimple areas
     B.  Dune nucleation and evolution (summary of work on
Parramore and Hog)
          1.  Nucleation processes
          2.  Sand supply
          3.  Eolian sand transport - rates and controls
          4.  Dune propagation
     C.  Vegetation - ties with water table, salinity, overwash,
disturbance stress
     D.  Interation between dunes and beach processes.

B.  Chronosequences on Barrier Islands - Day, ODU; Young, VCU
1.  Dominant landforms (topographic features) across the Hog
Island chronosequence)
2.  Physical environment (soil-sediment properties)
3.  Major plant community types and associated fauna.

C.  Barrier Island Marshes  - John Walsh, Christy Tyler, and
Joseph Zieman, The University of Virginia, Department of
Environmental Sciences

1.  Introduction to Barrier Island Marshes
     Position of marshes with respect to other landscape units
          namely shrub zones grading to high marsh and low marsh
grading to mud flats
          elevational range of marshes
          surface geology as function of sand transport from
beach side (wind and water)
               sandy nature of sediment - consequences on
community structure
2.  Types of back-barrier marshes and location along transect
     over-wash marshes (south Hog Island)
     lagoonal marshes (north Hog Island)
3.  History of VCR back-barrier marshes
     role of over-wash on back-barrier marshes (Godfrey and
Godfrey, 1976)
          pore-water toxics washed away
          new marsh platform added
          Spartina patens grows quickly through 20 cm burial
     frequency of NE storms at VCR islands (Dolan and Davis)
          percentage of Northeasters that affect back barrier
marshes (see Bob Dolan)
     pre-1962 Storm extent of VCR marshes - see Shao
     1962 Ash Wednesday storm
          general effects of Ash Wed storm on VCR barrier island
marshes
          Dolan
          effects of Storm on south Hog Island marshes
               complete over-wash from south of Broadwater tower
to southern
end of island
               marshes buried under 1.0 to 1.5 m of sand (Fitch,
1991)
          post-storm marsh re-growth
               re-growth map
               marsh chronosequence as unique circumstance
          theory of over-wash marsh development (versus Redfield,
1972)
               developmental sequence of high and low marshes
depends on depth of over-wash, and subsequent re-working of
deposition

4.  The structure of the high marsh
     terrestrial nature (inundation time)
     relation to salt flats

          HM hydrology
     creek development in HM
     plant communities of HM
          zonation in the high marsh
          causes of HM zonation (Bertness and Ellison, 1987,
Bertness, 1991)
               role of interspecific plant competition and
cooperation (Bertness, 1994, Bertness and Leonard, in press, and
Levine, Brewer, and Bertness, in press)
     epifaunal invertebrates of HM
          paucity of epifauna due to harsh environment
     The structure of the low marsh
          development of LM
               general trends in substrate physico-chemical
parameters
                    general increase in organic content, surface
sediment grain size , and porewater sulfide (Osgood and Zieman,
1994, and Walsh and Zieman, in preparation)
                    effects of (1) on LM community structure with
age
          marine nature (inundation time)
               LM hydrology
                    effects of smaller grain size on LM (versus
HM) hydrology
          creek development in LM
          Spartina</U> <U>alterniflora</U> community of a mature
back barrier marsh
               role of physical variables (not interspecific
competition) in determining monocultural nature of LM (Bertness,
1991)
                <U>Spartina</U> <U>alterniflora</U> height zones
(tall, medium, and short zones)
                    causes of differences in plant heights
                    porewater physico-chemical variables by
height zone
                         pH, salinity, and redox
                    biological variables by height zone
                         invertebrate epifaunal density and
biomass
                         macrophyte production
                    sediment variables by height zone
                         surface sediment grain size and organic
content
          role of lagoon in LM development and community
structure
               mud flat porewater as nutrient source for LM
(Osgood, 1995)
               lagoonal waters as source of epifaunal
invertebrate larvae

D.  Lagoon and lagoonal marshes - Hayden, Oertel, Zieman, Schultz
- no response to date

E.  Mainland marshes and neighboring uplands - Brinson and
Christian

1.  Mainland marshes - 3-5 types and vegetations, tidal creeks
2.  Forested wetlands - riparian, flats, and high marsh fringe
3.  Forested uplands - pine plantations and successional forest
4.  Non-forested uplands - Agricultural and other land uses
including
urban, suburban, etc.

For each of the above, the following sections would be treated
a.  Dominant landforms
b.  Soil-sediment properties
c.  Plant community types and associated fauna

MARK M. BRINSON    (919) 328-6307
BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
GREENVILLE, NC 27858
BIBRINSO@ECUVM.CIS.ECU.EDU