Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Microtopographic Ecohydrology Of A Forested Wetland In Louisiana, Yu-Hsin Hsueh

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal wetland forest ecosystems rely on the intimate interactions of hydrology, salinity, and coastal forest vegetation. The boundary between marsh and forest is often where hummock-swale terrain exists. It remains unknown as to the degree to which trees may experience varied salinity level within hummocks provided with freshwater flux. This study examined the hydrological regime of the hummock-swale terrain that resulted in salinity variation and whether freshwater source exists for baldcypress. Natural tracers of stable isotopes of water and salinity were applied to understand the sources of water. To better examine the tracers used, we conducted several experiments to gain …