Ecological restoration of the Little Qualicum River Estuary: Analysis of short-term sediment deposition

Cummings, Emma Jean (author)
Ashley, Ken (thesis advisor)
Joy, Ruth
Ransome, Doug
British Columbia Institute of Technology School of Construction and the Environment (Degree granting institution)
Simon Fraser University Faculty of Environment (Degree granting institution)

Dissertation/thesis

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© Emma Cummings, 2020. All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright heron may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - graphics, electronic, or mechanical including photocopying, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without written permission of the author.

British Columbia Institute of Technology

2020-04-14

61 pages

Restoration of the Little Qualicum River Estuary has focused on re-establishing the Carex lyngbyei channel edge vegetation lost to grubbing by the overabundant resident Canada goose population. Short-term sediment deposition rates were measured using weekly deployments of sediment traps between June and July 2019 to investigate how restoration is facilitating sediment retention to rebuild the marsh platform. Deposition rates varied between 6.82-107.88 g/m2/week with traps deployed on the denuded mud flat areas collecting more sediments than inside the older exclosures. It had been expected that the exclosures with a greater density of sedges would retain more sediment. Spatial variation may be attributed to differences in sampling elevations. Restoring C. lyngbyei may not increase localized sediment deposition directly but does protect the continued supply of organic input from the seasonal senescence of C. lyngbyei. The organic input from aboveground biomass may have a larger contribution to marsh accretion than allochthonous sediments.

sediment deposition
Carex lyngbyei
estuary
restoration
Canada goose

Carex lyngbyei
Canada goose
Sediment

electronic

Master of Science