Articles | Volume 22, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6963-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6963-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Nov 2025
Research article |
| 20 Nov 2025
| 20 Nov 2025
Modeling the mechanisms of coastal vegetation dynamics and ecosystem responses to changing water levels
Department of Biology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 90041, USA
Nate McDowell
Biological Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, P.O. Box 644236, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
Vanessa Bailey
Biological Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Nate Conroy
Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
Donnie J. Day
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Yilin Fang
Earth Systems Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Kenneth M. Kemner
Molecular Environmental Sciences Group, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Matthew L. Kirwan
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA
Charlie D. Koven
Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Matthew Kovach
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Patrick Megonigal
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
Kendalynn A. Morris
Joint Global Change Research Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Teri O'Meara
Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
Stephanie C. Pennington
Joint Global Change Research Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Roberta B. Peixoto
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Peter Thornton
Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
Mike Weintraub
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Peter Regier
Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sequim, WA 98382, USA
Leticia Sandoval
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Fausto Machado-Silva
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Alice Stearns
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
Nick Ward
Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sequim, WA 98382, USA
Stephanie J. Wilson
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
Model code and software
FATES-Hydro codes J. Ding https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15116449
Short summary
We used a vegetation model to study why coastal forests are dying due to rising water levels and what happens to the ecosystem when marshes take over. We found that tree death is mainly caused by water-damaged roots, leading to major changes in the environment, such as reduced water use and carbon storage. Our study helps explain how coastal ecosystems are shifting and offers new ideas to explore in future field research.
We used a vegetation model to study why coastal forests are dying due to rising water levels and...
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