8 Dec 2025

The Trajectory of Iron Sulfide Oxidation and Production in Marshes Created from Dredged Sediments at Poplar Island: Implications for Wetland Plant Establishment

Abstract: The following report provides a summary of the effects of iron sulfide dynamics (e.g., oxidation and formation) on the establishment of plant communities in wetlands created from fine-grained dredged sediments at Poplar Island in Maryland’s mid-Chesapeake Bay. The challenges associated with handling sulfide-rich sediments are discussed using examples from dredged channels and subsequent placement in a created wetland setting in the upper Chesapeake Bay. Information is synthesized from multiple previous peer-reviewed publications as well as unpublished studies, all conducted by the Horn Point Laboratory (University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science), on the trajectory of sulfur constituents in Poplar Island created wetlands. The implications for vegetation trajectories are discussed and the knowledge base of sulfide mineral biogeochemistry in managed coastal wetland systems is expanded.