July 21, 2005

SMART, a free computer model, supports salt marsh restoration planning

Healthy salt marshes improve coastal water quality and serve as essential habitats to many marine species. Yet increased development places these vital resources at risk. Roads, bridges, and other structures dissect salt marshes, restricting the flow of water and wildlife between ocean and marsh. Today more than 350 of these tidally restricted marshes in the Gulf of Maine are candidates for restoration. Such projects can be costly, however, and coastal managers need the right tools to plan the best course of action—long before the first shovel hits the ground. CICEET-sponsored researchers have developed a free computer model to support coastal managers who are planning salt marsh restoration projects.

The Salt Marsh Assessment and Restoration Tool, SMART, informs the design of restoration projects seeking to reestablish tidal flow and return an area to its native salt marsh habitat. Users can customize SMART with data specific to their proposed project, and then calculate whether their strategy will restore tidal flow to a level conducive to a healthy salt marsh. They can also predict what will happen if no action is taken. While SMART was designed using New England salt marsh vegetation, the range of some of these species may make SMART useful as far as the Mid-Atlantic region. Adaptations of the model based on different vegetative species could extend its applicability to other regions as well.

For more information, read the SMART project bulletin.

A version of SMART on CD is available free of charge. Please contact Dr. Ray Konisky: rkonisky@wellsreserve.org

You can also read the latest research progress report.

Related Projects
Modeling the effects of oysters and clams on seagrass and water clarity (Chesapeake Bay, Maryland)

Renourishing marshes with dredge spoil (Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island)

Accelerating the breakdown of oil in salt marshes (Portland, Maine)

Sediment Dynamics In Tidal Marshes