Hydrology of tidal freshwater forested wetlands of the Southeastern United States

Abstract

The downstream, coastward boundary of tidal freshwater forests is easy to define. There is usually an abrupt border from forest to fresh, brackish, or salt marsh as tidal effect and salinity increase. Upstream, however, there is a continuum within the forested community as salinity and tidal signature diminish. The boundary conditions can be defined by salinity ranges, species distributions, or hydraulic relations (Cowardin et al. 1979; Light et al. 2002; Hicks et al. 2000). Unfortunately, each of these criteria leads to a different spatial and functional delineation of the tidal freshwater zone. Odum et al. (1984) summarized the existing literature at that time on the ecology of tidal freshwater marshes, but little attention was given to analyzing the hydrology of the upper boundary of these systems, the forested edge. © 2007 Springer.