Resiliency and vulnerability of Apostle Islands coastal wetlands

Symposium Banner

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore supports several types of coastal and interior wetlands including lagoons, bogs, freshwater estuaries, marshes and peatlands that provide many important ecological functions.

We investigated wetland hydrology, geomorphology, vegetation, macro-invertebrates, and fish to identify communities or wetland types that are most at risk of climate-related impacts.

The interaction between Lake Superior water levels and hydrologic connectivity between the wetlands and the lake influence how these wetlands will respond to changing conditions.

For example, the hydrology of wetlands located behind semipermanent sand barriers responds quickly to intense rain events whereas wetlands with open connections to Lake Superior are influenced more by storm and seiche-driven fluctuations than heavy precipitation events.

Floral and faunal communities inhabiting the park’s coastal wetlands must be adapted to these different water level patterns. Because various climate related drivers (e.g., storm and seiche intensity vs. intense precipitation events) are at play, the park’s wetlands will likely respond in differing ways. For example, as lake levels shifted from a 15-year below-average period (1998-2013) to above-average depths in 2014, the plant community response was more dynamic among coastal wetland types lacking a sphagnum peat mat.

The Lakeshore’s peatlands have so far exhibited resilience to changes in hydrology, but sustained monitoring may capture a time lag in peatland response. The relatively remote location of Apostle Island wetlands makes them important reference systems, though climaterelated factors are likely to alter these systems in unique ways. 

Presenter biographies
Dr. Matt Cooper and Dr. Sarah Johnson
Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater
Innovation, Northland College

Matt Cooper is a Research Assistant Professor at Central Michigan University and teaching faculty at Muskegon Community College.

Matt received his BS and MS from Grand Valley State University and PhD from the University of Notre Dame.

He has worked in Great Lakes coastal wetlands for many years and is one of the project managers for the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program, a long-term program funded by the US EPA that is tracking the condition of over 1,000 wetlands across the Great Lakes.

Sarah Johnson is an Associate Professor of Natural Resources, the Sigurd Olson Professor of Natural Sciences, and faculty affiliate with the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College.

Sarah received a PhD in Botany from UW-Madison and has worked in the Great Lakes region or in coastal systems for 20 years, starting with an internship with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

She is a plant ecologist who researches vegetation change and teaches field botany, wetlands, and other natural history courses.

 

To sample more sessions choose below
50 Years of Archeology at the Apostle Islands

50 Years of Archeology at the Apostle Islands

As we look to the future of the Lakeshore, this knowledge will inform preservation planning and further study for ...
A Retrospective – Research and Resource Management at Apostle Islands NL

A Retrospective – Research and Resource Management at Apostle Islands NL

An overview of the history of natural resource management and research at the national lakeshore over the past 5 ...
A singing wilderness: Songbirds of the Apostle Islands

A singing wilderness: Songbirds of the Apostle Islands

Monitoring bird populations helps us keep an ear out for troubling changes in the island soundtrack.
A Vulnerability Assessment for Terrestrial Ecosystems

A Vulnerability Assessment for Terrestrial Ecosystems

How might climate change affect Apostle Islands National Lakeshore? It’s a simple question with lots of potential ...
American Martens on the Apostle Islands

American Martens on the Apostle Islands

Our findings suggest that the Apostle Islands were naturally recolonized by progeny of translocated individuals ...
Amphibians of the Apostle Islands

Amphibians of the Apostle Islands

The Apostles support 6 species of salamanders and 7-9 species of frogs.
Apostle Islands Flora

Apostle Islands Flora

Diverse physical landforms and a variety of habitats contribute to the high total plant diversity of 810+ species ...
Emerging Water Resource Issues in the Apostle Islands

Emerging Water Resource Issues in the Apostle Islands

The lake is big, omnipresent, and seemingly resistant to change. However, a closer look reveals a variety of ...
Fifty Years of Cultural Resource Research at Apostle Islands NL

Fifty Years of Cultural Resource Research at Apostle Islands NL

This presentation will look at the Lakeshore’s half century of efforts to study, understand, and steward these ...
Gaylord Nelson: mover, shaker, deal-maker

Gaylord Nelson: mover, shaker, deal-maker

Without Gaylord Nelson’s unmatched political acumen and years of commitment to public service, the Apostle Islands ...
Longitudinal Trends and Ecology of the Small Mammal Community

Longitudinal Trends and Ecology of the Small Mammal Community

Long-term changes in small mammal populations across the archipelago likely reflect reduction of human extractive ...
New Insights Into the Dynamics of Apostle Islands Carnivore Communities

New Insights Into the Dynamics of Apostle Islands Carnivore Communities

To determine how human activity and footprint affect the spatiotemporal activity of wildlife on the Apostle ...
Past, Present and Future of Fire in the Apostle Islands

Past, Present and Future of Fire in the Apostle Islands

We reconstructed fire history from fire-scarred red pine stumps collected on Stockton Island tombolo to better ...
Past, present and future of fisheries management in the Apostle Islands

Past, present and future of fisheries management in the Apostle Islands

New challenges are emerging and will direct fisheries management for the future.
Past, present, and future of piping plovers in the Apostle Islands

Past, present, and future of piping plovers in the Apostle Islands

Partnerships with tribal, state, and federal officials have been key to monitoring piping plovers in the islands.
Resiliency and vulnerability of Apostle Islands coastal wetlands

Resiliency and vulnerability of Apostle Islands coastal wetlands

We investigated wetland hydrology, geomorphology, vegetation, macro-invertebrates, and fish to identify ...
Through the eyes of 4th graders

Through the eyes of 4th graders

Through the Eyes of Fourth Graders is a book written and illustrated by students about their experiences in the ...
Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Traditional Ecological Knowledge

What is TEK? How does it relate to scientific knowledge? Traditional knowledge is embedded within the very fabric ...
Under the surface and Zaaga’igan Ma’iinganag (lakewolves)

Under the surface and Zaaga’igan Ma’iinganag (lakewolves)

In this presentation, program directors Ian Karl and Toben Lafrançois highlight the photos and reflections from ...
Underwater Landscapes of the Apostle Islands

Underwater Landscapes of the Apostle Islands

Since 2010, NPS and partners have developed high resolution benthic habitat maps for six coastal parks in the ...

You may also like…