Today’s Video of the Day from the National Science Foundation explores how rising sea levels and increasing levels of salinity are impacting coastal wetlands.
The salinity of ocean water is 400 times that of fresh water, and the salt water that is left behind after an ocean intrusion can lead to intolerable salt levels for the plants and animals in a wetland ecosystem.
The Discovery Files video focuses on the work of Dr. Sparkle Malone, a professor in the Department of Biological Science at Florida International University.
In the Florida Everglades, Dr. Malone is taking measurements to assess how plants and animals are responding to changes in salt levels. High salt levels reduce vegetation cover and have a negative effect on productivity throughout the entire wetland ecosystem.
Video Credit: National Science Foundation/Florida International University
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer