Land

Tidal Wetlands

Population & Land Use Tidal Wetlands

Tidal Wetlands Status Rating:

FAIR

…but getting worse

Here’s Why:

Many acres of tidal wetlands, which are vital ecosystems in the Delaware Estuary, are lost due to sea-level rise and other human-related stressors. These systems are threatened and need adaptive regulations, funding, and educational initiatives to safeguard their future.

Why are nature’s critical buffers fading away, and how can we help protect them?

Tidal wetlands are one of the Delaware Estuary’s most important and characteristic habitats. They are ecological powerhouses that blur the boundaries between land and water and provide many benefits. Yet, the sad reality is they are being lost at accelerated rates in the Delaware Estuary due to rising sea levels and human-induced stressors such as development and nutrient overloading.

Wetlands are considered the kidneys of our waterways, helping to trap sediments, store carbon, and purify water. They are a place where fish and wildlife live, feed, and reproduce, making them crucial to their survival. However, rising sea levels and excessive human interference have strained these resilient ecosystems, resulting in significant degradation and loss. To safeguard the health of these habitats, we need to understand how they respond to threats and keep pace with rising sea levels to maintain their structure and function. This section discusses the importance of tidal wetlands, the threats they face, and potential strategies for safeguarding their future.

As nature’s powerhouses, tidal wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services including trapping sediments, storing carbon, and removing contaminants from the water. Wetlands shield communities from intense storms, and provide habitat and nesting areas for many unique plant and animal species. Home to a unique variety of plant species, and bound by frequent wet conditions with periodic tidal flooding, these wetlands are sculpted by sediments — tiny particles of minerals and decaying organic matter.

Sediments settle at the water’s bottom, forming a semi-solid substrate for plants to take root, while creating a habitat and home for turtles, herons, muskrats, fish, mollusks, and more. Unfortunately, these resilient ecosystems are facing compounding challenges. Rising sea levels and human-induced stressors such as development, and nutrient pollution, have led to significant losses in the Delaware Estuary’s tidal wetlands. Overstressed wetlands are more prone to degradation and erosion, undermining their resilience against climate change and sea-level rise which affects both humans and animals alike.

Understanding the looming threat of rising sea levels is critical for determining the fate of tidal wetlands in the Delaware Estuary. We lost more than 840 acres of tidal wetlands between 1996 and 2016. Models suggest that a sea level rise rate of 10 millimeters (mm) per year might be too much for tidal wetlands to keep pace with changing flood patterns.

Worst-case scenario models project a sea-level rise of 1.77 feet between 2000 and 2050 (10.8 mm/yr) and 6.56 feet between 2000 and 2100 (20 mm/yr) in the Delaware Estuary. This could culminate in a 14 percent loss of tidal wetlands by the year 2100.

If sea levels rise 3.28 feet by 2100, we could lose another 44,500 acres of wetland habitat over the next 80 years if nothing is done to slow these losses.

Ensuring the survival of our tidal wetlands will take adaptive regulations, substantial funding for research and restoration, and ongoing educational initiatives to enable communities to protect these vital ecosystems.

Things You Can Do

Learn about tidal wetlands, watersheds, climate change, stormwater runoff, and spread the word about these threatened ecosystems.
Plant native plants along the edges of water bodies and wetlands to reduce erosion (and associated wetland loss) from wind and wave action
Contribute to community science projects on apps like iNaturalist to help scientists better understand tidal wetland plant and animal species status.
Discourage and speak out against development projects that negatively impact tidal wetlands. For example, you can learn about proposed projects in PA that threaten wetlands and add public comments here.

Get Involved

What is Being Done?

For more than a decade, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary has monitored more than six tidal wetland areas in the Delaware Estuary to research how they are faring with sea level rise and climate change. This long-term study, part of a program called the Mid Atlantic Coastal Wetland Assessment (MACWA), is essential for collecting data and understanding patterns and trends in tidal wetland health and for designing successful restoration projects that help divert tidal wetland losses. These data are fundamental to designing successful restoration projects that divert tidal wetland losses. This includes efforts by PDE and other organizations that routinely complete living shoreline projects, propagate mussels to filter the water and create habitat, and educate the public about these efforts to spread the word and help communities better protect our tidal wetlands.

Building Connections

How does tidal wetland habitat connect to the strategies and goals outlined in the Delaware Estuary Program’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP)? CCMP STRATEGY H1.2: Restore, enhance, and manage tidal wetlands for maximum health and resilience This tidal wetland indicator status report is based on research compiled in the 2022 Technical Report for the Delaware Estuary and Basin (2022 TREB). Please refer to this document for more information.

Partnership for the DE Estuary