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Data from: Surface elevation trends in natural and restored coastal forested wetlands reveal vulnerability to saltwater intrusion and sea level rise

Ardon, Marcelo1

Published Nov 14, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zgmsbccs4

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Abstract

Accelerating sea level rise and increasing frequency of storms are impacting coastal wetlands. Similar to salt marshes, coastal freshwater wetlands provide important flood protection and storm abatement services, but their capacity to keep up with sea level rise and associated saltwater intrusion remains unclear. Long-term monitoring of wetland soil surface elevation using surface elevation table and marker horizons (SET-MH) has been conducted in salt marshes, while forested wetlands have not received as much attention. In 2015, we installed 18 SET-MHs in one restored and two mature forested wetlands on the coastal plain of North Carolina, all of which have experienced saltwater intrusion in recent years. This dataset includes individual pin measurements for the 18 SETs from 2016 to 2022. Trends are reported in the manuscript, but we provide the raw data for future use.