18/10/2022

The seminar will describe changes in the ecosystems of the coastal plain, both natural and anthropogenic, resulting from sea level rise in the Mid-Atlantic US. Large-scale habitat conversion is occurring, as upland ecosystems are inundated and salinized. Trees have died across large areas, and the trunks remain in places referred to as ghost forests. The Gedan Lab has been researching the retreat of forests and the expansion of tidal wetlands in response to sea-level rise. How exactly does salinity kill trees? And will the tidal wetlands of the future be similar to those of today?

Dr. Keryn Gedan is an Associate Professor in Biological Sciences at George Washington University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in Biology and Environmental Studies and her PhD from Brown University in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Gedan is an ecologist who researches global change factors such as sea level rise, climate change, hypoxia, and invasive species in coastal and intertidal ecosystems. Her current research investigates the response of tidal marsh and nearshore upland ecosystems to accelerated sea level rise. Gedan and her students have projects in coastal marsh, forest, and salt-affected farmland in the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic seashore, where they work with farmers and land managers to inform conservation and restoration activities. Her research is supported by NSF, Maryland Sea Grant, the USDA, and the National Fish and Wildlife Federation. Gedan is currently based in Buenos Aires as a Fulbright Science and Technology Fellow.