Wetland Crisis on the U.S. Pacific Coast

In September 2024, a team of researchers published a study in the journal Biological Conservation showing that coastal salt marshes along the U.S. Pacific Coast have experienced significant losses, averaging more than 60%. In contrast, other coastal regions of the U.S. have experienced less loss of coastal salt marsh (less than 10% on average), and while wetland loss is often compensated for by terrestrial migration, this migration may have resulted in a net loss of vegetated coastal salt marsh, and in particular, the reduction of forested coastal salt marsh has not been effectively replaced.