Webinar Description

Salt marsh ecosystems are well-known for their carbon storage capacity – they are also hotspots of respiration, which produces greenhouse gases that can counteract the long-term carbon storage. At the same time, there is a paucity of spatial and temporal measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes in salt marsh ecosystems; this lack of data impairs the ability to manage salt marsh ecosystems effectively for carbon storage. Data are limited by various factors, including logistical and financial constraints of measuring greenhouse gases.

A team from Boston University and the five New England NERRs worked together on a one-year catalyst project to test sensors that measure carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity in salt marsh environments. The team conducted five field trips throughout the year, incorporating iterative feedback on instrument design, ease of deployment, and alignment with existing monitoring efforts at the NERRs. In this webinar, the team described the project’s approach to designing low-cost, ultra-portable instruments for measuring greenhouse gas fluxes in salt marshes, major findings that emerged from the work, as well as key applications of the technology for salt marsh restoration and research.

Webinar Summary Products

• Webinar Recording (YouTube)
• Speaker Bios (Webinar Page)
• Slides and Q&A (PDF - coming Soon)