Sediment composition and groundwater salinity of two marshes on the North Carolina Outer Banks / by Mark T. Purser.
| Author/creator | Purser, Mark T. author. |
| Other author | Brinson, Mark M., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | Brown, Charles Q., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Geology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 1990. |
| Description | viii, 108 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Subject | Sediment composition and porewater salinity were examined in two backbarrier marshes, one near Salvo and one near Nags Head Woods, in Dare County, North Carolina. Marsh age and origin, as inferred from morphology of the adjacent barrier island and depth of marsh sediments, are confirmed by C-14 dating. The Salvo marsh is built on a washover fan or flood tide delta along a narrow, topographically low, unprotected section of Hatteras Island. The Nags Head marsh is built on eolian redistributed back-barrier dunes, behind a wide, topographically high, protected section of Bodie Island. The Salvo marsh is migrating islandward over the adjacent sand flats as the marsh builds upward and laterally in response to rising sea level. Here oceanic overwash may provide additional platforms for marsh colonization. Clayey peats to peaty clays, which occur in both marshes, average 0.6 m thick in the Salvo marsh and 1.5 m thick at Nags Head. Sediments in the Nags Head marsh are vertically accreting, yet the marsh cannot migrate islandward because the wetland environment abuts against the bases of tall dune complexes. Net loss of surface area is probable for Nags Head marsh because of marsh erosion along the sound margin and a lack of opportunity to migrate as sea-level rises. Porewater salinity values for the marsh surface and base were consistently higher in the Salvo marsh than in the Nags Head system during all seasons of 1986. Pamlico and Roanoke Sounds appear to exert major control over porewater salinity in adjacent marshes. Suspected groundwater discharge into the Nags Head marsh could not be documented with the sampling approach used. Marsh floras differ in species composition in part as a result of salinity differences. |
| General note | Submitted to the faculty of the Department of Geology. |
| General note | Advisor: Mark M. Brinson |
| General note | Advisor: Charles Q. Brown |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 1990 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-78.). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
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| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Joyner | NC Microforms | MICROFILM | ✔ Available | |
| Electronic Resources | ✔ Available |