Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Comas, Xavier
Abstract
While repeated transgressive and regressive sea level cycles have shaped south Florida throughout geological history, modern rates of sea level rise pose a significant risk to the structure and function of the freshwater wetland ecosystems throughout the low-lying Everglades region. Current regionally corrected sea level projections for south Florida indicate a rise of 0.42m by 2050 and 1.15m by 2100, suggesting the salinization of previously freshwater areas of the Everglades is conceivable. As freshwater areas become increasingly exposed to saltwater they experience shifts in vegetation composition, soil microbial populations, plant productivity, and physical soil properties that ultimately result in a phenomenon called peat collapse. Recent work in the Everglades has sought to further explain the mechanisms of peat collapse, however the physical changes to the peat matrix induced by saltwater intrusion are still uncertain. Moreover, the combination of physical alterations to the peat matrix associated with peat collapse and shifts in wetland salinity regimes will also likely disrupt the current carbon gas dynamics of the Everglades.
Extent
213 p.
Recommended Citation
Sirianni, Matthew J., "INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE AND INCREASED SALINITY ON PEAT SOILS OF THE EVERGLADES (FLORIDA): IMPLICATIONS FOR CHANGES IN BIOGENIC GAS DYNAMICS AND PEAT COLLAPSE" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present. 545.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/545
Identifier
FA00013589
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.