Sedimentation fields as a method of saltmarsh restoration: continuity of human influence on natural processes

Dale, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5242-8071 and Farrell, M. (2025) Sedimentation fields as a method of saltmarsh restoration: continuity of human influence on natural processes. Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures. ISSN 2754-7205 doi: 10.1017/cft.2025.10020 (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

Saltmarsh habitat provides important ecosystem services such as water quality regulation, carbon sequestration and flood defence, but is experiencing losses globally. Historically, this has been caused by land claim, and more recently by rising sea levels. Several methods have been implemented to compensate for saltmarsh habitat loss, including realigning defences, transplanting vegetation and building structures such as sedimentation fields to enclose areas of mudflat and encourage sediment deposition. It has been suggested that sedimentation fields may offer saltmarsh restoration without the limitations identified in other restoration approaches, such as poor drainage and anoxia caused by changes to the sediment structure due to prior human activity. In this article, we argue that restoration through sedimentation fields should be viewed as a continuation of human activity influencing natural processes, rather than as a method that overcomes the influence of prior human activity on saltmarsh ecosystem functioning. This opinion is evidenced by a critical review of the (pre-)historic human activity and saltmarsh restoration attempts at Rumney Great Wharf, Severn Estuary, Wales, where sedimentation fields were constructed between 1989 and 2005 and extended in 2024. We then evaluate the research requirements that need to be addressed to ensure the successful implementation of future schemes, including further understanding of the interactions between physical and biological processes, to enhance ecosystem functioning in sites restored using sedimentation fields.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/127755
Identification Number/DOI	10.1017/cft.2025.10020
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Geography and Environmental Science
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
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