Tidal marsh restoration on Sapelo Island: A legacy of R.J. Reynolds, Jr., Eugene Odum and the University of Georgia Marine Institute

Restoration of tidal marshes throughout the 20th century have attempted to bring back important functions of natural tidal systems. In this study, vertical accretion, organic carbon (C) sequestration, and nitrogen burial were compared between a natural, never diked tidal salt marsh and a hydrologically restored tidal salt marsh on Sapelo Island, Georgia to examine the impacts of restoration years later. 64 years after hydrologic restoration in 1956, the restored marsh studied had higher rates of accretion based on 137Cs and 210Pb (4.8–5.1 mm/yr), C sequestration (118–125 g C/m2/yr) and N burial (8.3–8.8.g N/m2/yr) than the never diked marsh (2.9–3.4 mm/yr, 75–85 g C/m2/yr, 4.8–5.6 g N/m2/yr).