NOAA Reveals Climate Change Impacts Nation's Estuaries

Estuaries are some of the most important ecosystems in the U.S.--and most easily impacted by outside influences. These barriers surround coastal habitats, combining both fresh and salt water in a mixture that can influence adjoining ecosystems. Now, researchers have revealed that the nation's estuaries are experiencing the negative effects of human and climate-related stressors.

There are 28 National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR) in the U.S., and all of them are currently suffering from human and climate impacts. Yet some are feeling these influences more acutely than others. More specifically, three East Coast reserves are being impacted the most, including Sapelo Island in Georgia, ACE Basin in South Carolina and Waquoit Bay in Massachusetts.

These estuaries are places where rivers meet the sea. They provide nursery habitat for both fish and shellfish. In addition, they help buffer coastal communities from the impacts of violent storms and sea level rise.

Yet estuaries don't just impact wildlife and the surrounding land, they also impact people. Almost 40 percent of all Americans, or about 123 million people, live in the counties directly along the shoreline. These communities depend on estuaries for food, jobs, storm protection and recreation. About 50 percent, or $6.6 trillion, of the nation's gross domestic product comes from coastal watershed counties which support more than 51 million jobs. Needless to say, estuaries are important for the U.S.

"This information is important to helping coastal managers and local community leaders make informed decisions about the best ways for coastal communities to adapt to climate change," said Dwight Trueblood, one of the researchers, in a news release.

While examining these ecosystems, the researchers found that estuaries were most impacted by toxic pollutants, storm impacts, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, sedimentation and shoreline erosion. These stressors were mostly caused by residential development, land use, population growth, wastewater treatment and sea level rise. In other words, they were mostly caused by human influence and climate change.

The findings are crucial for helping prevent further impacts from degrading these estuaries. As the climate continues to change, it's important to understand how to curtail future destruction.

The findings can be found online here.