Sediment, nutrient, and vegetation trends along the tidal, forested Pocomoke River, Maryland

Abstract

The Pocomoke River Swamp was once considered to be an almost impenetrable wilderness, with conditions strongly resembling the Dismal Swamp of North Carolina and Virginia (Beaven and Oosting 1939). The original width of the forested wetland, as evidenced by black organic soils, extended as much as two to three times beyond the active-floodplain edge (pre-channelization) along the upper reaches of the river (Beaven and Oosting 1939). Currently, the Pocomoke River Swamp is extant only by the river and its active (flooded annually) floodplain that ranges from 0.35 km in width along upper reaches to 3.6 km along lower tidal reaches. © 2007 Springer.