Long-Term Water Table Dynamics of Forested Wetlands: Drivers and their Effects on Wetland Hydrology in The Southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain

• Published in: Wetlands (Wilmington, N.C.) N.C.), 2020-02, Vol.40 (1), p.65-79
• Main Authors: Amatya, D. M., Chescheir, G. M., Williams, T. M., Skaggs, R. W., Tian, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coastal management; Coastal plains; Coastal Sciences; Controlled drainage; Drainage; Dynamics; Ecological function; Ecology; Environmental Management; Environmental restoration; Evapotranspiration; Extreme weather; Forest management; Forested wetlands; Forests; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Growing season; Hydrogeology; Hydrology; Landscape Ecology; Life Sciences; Natural disturbance; Plantations; Rain; Rainfall; Sandy soils; Seasons; Silviculture in Forested Wetlands; Soil types; Sustainability management; Topography; Vegetation; Water quality; Water table; Watersheds; Wetlands
• ISSN: 0277-5212; 1943-6246
• DOI: 10.1007/s13157-019-01153-y

Sustainable management of forested wetlands requires an understanding of water Table (WT) dynamics affected by rainfall and evapotranspiration (ET) and management practices, designed to sustain water quality, quantity, and ecosystem functions and productivity. In this paper analysis of long-term data from four drained and six undrained sites on coastal forested wetlands showed that their growing season WT dynamics depends upon ET as affected by vegetation stand age, with undrained sites yielding deeper WT than the drained young sites but shallower than the mature ones. Wetland hydrology criterion was not met on any of the drained sites including with controlled drainage and one unditched site with moderately well-drained sandy soil, where the WT was within 30 cm of the surface for