Temporal and Spatial Accretion Patterns and the Impact of Livestock Grazing in a Restored Coastal Salt Marsh

Abstract A summer polder had developed a deficit in surface elevation of about 20 cm respect to rising sea level during its almost one-hundred-year period embankment. We addressed the questions whether distance restored site intertidal flats and continuation livestock grazing could hamper surface-elevation change first 10 years after de-embankment polder. The showed similar positive linear relationships with annual tidal flooding both reference salt marsh site, indicating that was not moderated by from sea. clear seasonal pattern values winter negative summer. 11 mm/year grazed 7 but amounted 17 ungrazed exclosures showing retarded catching up site. within higher close constructed creeks inception levee formation. also positively affected proximity breaches embankment, this effect less than creeks. conclude may be compensated Wadden Sea polders their when sediment supply is high, whereas retards process. Dug increase spatial variation