ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the literature on the energetic determinants of marsh habitat distribution, the relationship between shoreline wave energy and marsh erosion rates, and the ability of fringing marshes to attenuate waves and trap sediments. Coastal salt marshes occur naturally along low-energy estuarine shorelines in temperate to subtropical zones. Shoreline spatial data are also generally available, although the accuracy should be checked for potential project sites. The use of living shorelines, or fringing salt marshes with or without low oyster or rock sills, for erosion control is preferable to traditional hardening practices because they maintain the ecosystem services provided by vegetated shorelines. The chapter describes the results of a case study of natural and stabilized fringing salt marsh from central North Carolina. It then combines results from the literature review and case study to provide guidance on the physical settings in which fringing marsh and hybrid living shorelines can be considered.
