Global change and marsh elevation dynamics: experimenting where land meets sea and biology meets geology

Coastal marshes must accumulate soil to keep up with rising sea levels. It is unknown how the response of these ecosystems to global change will infl uence their ability to continue to keep up with sea-level rise. Here, we describe an in situ experimental chamber approach for manipulating key environmental variables, such as atmospheric CO2 and soil N availability, in a brackish marsh. We outfi tted each chamber with surface elevation tables (SETs) to closely monitor soil elevation change, a sensitive indicator of marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise. Further, the design facilitates measurements of ecosystem exchange of CO2, plant productivity, porewater chemistry, and other environmental parameters.