By Tony Curtis & Joe DeVivo
Monitoring Objectives
Determine the rate of salt marsh accretion or subsidence.
Determine the status and trends in soil salinity.
Determine trends in relative sea level rise
Determine species composition, cover and height.
Determine trends in marsh extent
We plan to develop and use standardized multi-agency
monitoring protocol." Tony Curtis
How? Surface Elevation Tables
![graph depicting marsh monitoring equipment set up graph depicting marsh monitoring equipment set up](/common/uploads/stories/images/nri/20160725/articles/582D78C6-1DD8-B71B-0B0AF5FDFBA2EEBF/582D78C6-1DD8-B71B-0B0AF5FDFBA2EEBF.jpg)
NPS Photo
Rod is installed as a survey-grade benchmark
Changes in the “whole” salt marsh
Depth to feldspar
Changes in accretion or deposition rates
Tied to land and tidal elevation networks
Data Collection
![a salt marsh monitoring device surrounded by marsh grass a salt marsh monitoring device surrounded by marsh grass](/common/uploads/stories/images/nri/20170306/articles/745D41D5-1DD8-B71B-0BE15F42AE303D95/745D41D5-1DD8-B71B-0BE15F42AE303D95.jpg)
NPS Photo
Surface Elevation Table is a portable mechanical leveling device for measuring the relative elevation of wetland sediments.
Percisly measure sediment elevation in wetlands to determine rates of elevation change, particularly relative to sea level rise.
Status at the Timucuan Preserve
Last updated: March 6, 2017