Salt marshes have great ecological value for the ecosystem, namely in nutrient regeneration, primary production, habitat for wildlife species and as shoreline stabilizers. Their important role has been recently admitted by the inclusion of these ecosystems in the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Integrating the fact that these ecosystems are very productive with the generally accepted knowledge that global atmospheric CO2 is rising, becomes important to know the present status salt marsh systems and how their important services to the ecosystem overall will behave in a climate change scenario with increasing atmospheric CO2 and seawater temperature. The results obtained in this project are crucial to understand the long-term influences of anthropogenic activities in salt marsh ecosystem. It will also contribute with knowledge to predict the responses of salt marsh ecosystems to future constrains, allowing to elaborate predictions of the salt marsh ecosystem behavior in a future rising of CO2, global warming and eutrophization. Systematic experimental studies of plant spatial variation will be considered to provide a general understanding of the forces influencing marsh plant community structure and function. With this it will be possible to predict biomass balances and assess the modifications on the salt marsh structure, and functioning and consequently the services provided.

CESAM members on this project

Helena Silva
Investigador

João Miguel Dias
Investigador

Bolseira

Nuno Alexandre Firmino Vaz
Investigador