Assessment and Characterization of Salt Marshes in the Arthur Kill (New York and New Jersey) Replanted after a Severe Oil Spill

摘要

On January 1 and 2, 1990, a 576,000-gal oil spill seriously damaged the salt marshes of the Arthur Kill, the strait separating Staten Island, New York, from New Jersey. The New York City Salt Marsh Restoration Team (SMRT) implemented a multiyear restoration and monitoring project to restore those parts of the marshes directly impacted by the oil spill. Restoration activities included successfully reintroducing Arthur-Kill-propagated saltmarsh cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, and monitoring several parameters both in oiled marshes that were replanted and in oiled marshes that were left for natural recovery. Those parameters included: peak standing biomass, stem and flower density, and height of S. alterniflora; sediment total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH); density of ribbed-mussels (Geukensia demissa); fish abundance and diversity; and wading bird (i.e., egret) foraging success. Results of the monitoring suggest that the replanting of S. alterniflora was very important for recovery and restoration of the saltmarsh ecosystem. This replanting of S. alterniflora provides much of the structural component of the marsh; restoring this component to levels found elsewhere in the Arthur Kill is important to the other members of the food web, such as the mussels, mummichogs, and birds. It is particularly significant in an urbanized landscape, where habitats are few and isolated. However, questions remain as to the ecological viability and functional equivalency of these marshes.