Relative rise in sea-level during the past 5000 years at six salt marshes in Northern Puget Sound, Washington

This study was initiated by the Shorelands and Coastal Zone Management Program of the Washington Department of Ecology in order to provide baseline data on relative sea-level change in Puget Sound. In this study six Puget Sound marshes were examined in order to determine the relative sea-level changes at each site during the past several thousand years. The salt marshes were also surveyed as potential sites for future sea-level changes. Predictions of accelerated sea-level rise due to global climate change are uncertain. An appropriate present-day response includes inventory and monitoring activities along coastlines and research into history of sea-level changes in the region.