Description:
Reference #: 01103
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for a method of restoring elevation of marshes with sediment deficits by means of raising the concentration of suspended sediment.
Invention Description:
The subject invention is a device that raises the concentration of suspended sediment over the marsh during incoming tides. As the water floods over the marsh surface, the sediment settles on the surface and raises the elevation of the marsh.
Potential Applications:
Restoration and maintenance of tidal areas, such as marsh lands, creek beds, etc.
Advantages and Benefits:
1. Greatly increases the concentration of sediment suspended in the water and, consequently, significantly raising the sedimentation rate on the marsh surface
2. Operates long enough to achieve a healthy accumulation of sediment in the local marshes and subsequently redeployed to other areas
3. Does not alter the salinity of the estuaries or disrupt traditional fisheries
Background:
Tidal marshes maintain their elevation by trapping sediment suspended in the water that flood them daily at high tide. Many estuarial marshes are disappearing because sea levels are rising faster than marshes can trap and retain sediment, leading to a sediment deficit. Even in the absence of sea-level rise, sediment deficits can occur when levels and dams are constructed, agriculture and reforestation efforts are abandoned, water qualities practices that reduce turbidity are adopted, and natural causes such as repopulation of beavers.