One of the greatest challenges of managing estuarine habitats is that drivers of habitat degradation and loss often occur over multiple temporal and spatial scales. For example, degradation of a habitat can occur locally and quickly during a single storm event or slowly, across decades on an entire region due to relative sea level rise. Estuarine habitat degradation from natural and anthropogenic pressures can have broad impacts on wetland biogeomorphology.

My area of expertise is coastal landscape ecology, understanding the interaction between spatial characteristics and ecological processes. I leverage geospatial technology like RTK-GPS, lidar, UAV technology, and multispectral data to study macro-scale and ecosystem-level topics.

My dissertation work focuses on analyzing the human and ecological implications of estuarine shoreline stabilization decisions by examining the physical and biological impacts from the presence of natural (unaltered shoreline), hardened (bulkheads and revetments), and nature-based (living shorelines) structures. My work further seeks to understand the socio-environmental issues associated with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Critically, I seek to answer if and how living shorelines impact biota and explore if living shorelines are able to keep pace with natural and anthropogenic forcing, such as global climate change and sea level rise.

Estuarine nearshore habitats serve critical ecosystem services, including nursery habitat, water quality enhancement, buffers from storms and tidal flooding, carbon sink, and economic growth. Salt marshes are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. These tidally influenced wetlands play a critical role in the storage of carbon via plants and microbial activity and the movement of sediment. However, stored carbon can be released when wetlands are degraded and co-benefits of wetlands can be lost. Natural and nature-based solutions may serve as a means to combat loss of valuable ecosystems.

Nearly half of society lives or relies on the coast, in turn coastal ecosystems face development pressures which impact their capacity to adapt. Demand for protection will continue to grow as communities continue to rely on the coast. It is critical that we clarify equity and justice issues faced specifically by coastal residents in association to shoreline management decisions that have been implemented, storms, and associated flooding residents face, particularly by under-represented coastal community groups. This information can aid coastal residents and coastal managers in short- and long-term decision making, reducing risks to lives and property by directly analyzing the intersection of public coastal management decision and impacts during and after a major storm event.

Ecosystem Function and Biogeomorphology of Living Shorelines

Conceptually, a benefit of implementing a living shoreline is that they can protect or restore intertidal vegetation and result in the recruitment of oysters—both being ecosystem engineers, which are biota that can directly or indirectly change their physical environment. For example, oysters and marsh grasses can facilitate increases in vertical elevation by trapping sediment, reducing wave energy, and producing organic matter that enables salt marsh ecosystems to remain resilient to external pressures, such as storms and sea level rise. Because of this, living shorelines appear to be and are often promoted as mechanisms that improve resiliency. This student-led study seeks to: quantifying the ecosystem functions of estuarine shoreline stabilization decisions by comparing living shorelines to unaltered, natural control shorelines. It is critical that we explore the implications of living shorelines on biogeomorphology to justify their installation as forms of restoration and shoreline stabilization, particularly as these projects age; clarifying their relevance as a strategy to build resiliency. This study will begin to explore if living shorelines are able to keep pace with natural and anthropogenic forcing, such as global climate change and sea level rise, by influencing horizontal and vertical marsh development.

Lead PI: Mariko Polk, PhD Student (UNCW)

Co-PI: Dr. Devon Eulie (UNCW) Co-PI: Dr. Martin Posey (UNCW) Co-PI: Dr. Rachel Gittman (ECU)

Check out my annual mid-project update related to our US Coastal Research Program Student Challenge Quantifying the biogeomorphological impacts of estuarine shoreline stabilization decisions grant project!

Find out more about our US CRP Project here.

This study is being conducted by researchers and funding from:

Recording_Polk.mp4

Grants and Awards

2022 University of North Carolina Systems Graduate and Professional Student Affair’s Professional Development Fund, $150 (Recipient)

2022-2023 Francis Peter Fensel Memorial Scholarship, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, $7,754 (Recipient)

2021-2022 Francis Peter Fensel Memorial Scholarship, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, $6,443 (Recipient)

2021 Friends of UNCW Grants Committee, Department of Biology and Marine Biology facilitation of computer resources for department students in need via the development of a “loaner” program, $1,373. (PI: Mariko Polk, Stephen Kinsey, Heather Koopman; Funded)

2020-2021 Francis Peter Fensel Memorial Scholarship, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, $6,226 (Recipient)

2021 YWCA Lower Cape Fear 35th Annual Women of Achievement Award Trailblazer Nominee.

2019-2022 US Coastal Research Program Student Challenge Quantifying the biogeomorphological impacts of estuarine shoreline stabilization decisions, $109,699 (Lead-PI: M. Polk; Co-PI: D. Eulie, R. Gittman, M. Posey)

2018-2019 National Science Foundation RAPID: Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment Program, Evaluation of the Resilience of Shoreline Protection Methods to Hurricane Florence. $42,570. (PI: D. Eulie, R. Gittman, H. Hao.; Collaborators/Student Leads: C. Smith, M. Polk)

2018-2020 North Carolina Sea Grant Core Funding, $119,916. Quantifying the geomorphic, ecological, and socioeconomic impacts of shoreline management strategies: A multi-disciplinary approach. (PI: D. Eulie, R. Gittman, C. Peterson; Collaborators/Student Leads: M. Polk, C. Smith)

2018-2019 NSF MGG RAPID, The response and recovery of adjacent natural and built coastlines impacted by Hurricane Florence, $79,085 (PI: D. Eulie, R. Gittman, H. Hao; Collaborators/Student Leads: M. Polk)

2018-2019 North Carolina Collaboratory Grant, Quantifying the geomorphic, ecological, and socioeconomic impacts of shoreline management strategies: a multi-disciplinary approach, $17,646 (PI: D. Eulie, R. Gittman, C. Peterson; Collaborators/Student Leads: M. Polk, C. Smith)

2018. First Place Winner for Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation, Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, Spring Meeting in St. Augustine, FL.

2018 UNC Wilmington Department of Environmental Science’s Honorarium for services above and beyond duties including student support, teaching, and equipment management. (Recipient)

2017-2018 North Carolina 205J Program, Developing a Watershed Restoration Plan for the Town of Pine Knoll Shores through Coordinated Collaboration, $15,000 (Co-Author, Technical Lead)

2016-2017 North Carolina 205J Program, Developing a Watershed Restoration Plan for the Town of Beaufort through Coordinated Collaboration, $13,535 (Co-Author, Technical Lead)

2015. First Place Winner for Student Category of Battle of the GeoMaps, NCAUG.

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