Salt Marsh Dieback - Salinity Hypothesis

Salinity Hypothesis

A second hypothesis of salt marsh dieback focuses on increased salinity and lack of soil water being the main causes of salt marsh dieback. Some scientists see this hypothesis as relevant, since global warming suggests that increased global temperatures may lead to increased evaporation and transpiration.

Brown and Pezeshki devised an experiment in which many S. alterniflora individuals were put under situations of increased salinity, increased water stress, and then a combined treatment. They found that those plants that experienced the combined treatment exhibited an increase in water stress, where plants are unable to get a sufficient amount of water from the soil, a decrease in photosynthetic activity, and ultimately death (Brown & Pezeshki 2007).