MassMarsh Standard Operating Procedure: Collection of Hydrologic Data

Since European colonization salt marsh tidal hydrology has been altered in two dramatic ways. First, barriers have been placed across marshes (transportation corridors, agricultural embankments, dikes) reducing tidal exchange, sediment availability and salinity. Second, marshes have been ditched for a variety of reasons, resulting mostly in increased marsh drainage at low tide. Many of the restoration approaches commonly used today have a focus on providing more natural hydrology to the marsh. Therefore, any assessment of marsh health and condition needs hydrologic data to contextualize response to restoration.

Because of hydrology’s role as a primary driver of salt marsh development and health, MassMarsh established a standard set of procedures for the state wide assessment of changes in tidal hydrology and to monitor the effectiveness of restoration and adaptation techniques. The hydrology SOP outlines the installation and use of automated water level recorders to monitor surface water or groundwater elevation.