Publications

Note: For links to articles and citation statistics, please see Dr. Kirwan’s Google Scholar profile. Full text for most articles are available through Google Scholar or Research Gate.

*denotes student, technician, or postdoc in our lab, #denotes visiting student or member of dissertation committee.

2024

  •  Kirwan, M.L., Michael, H.A., Gedan, K.B., Tully, K.L., Fagherazzi, S., McDowell, N.G., *Molino, G.D., Pratt, D., Reay, W.G., and Stotts, S. 2024. Feedbacks regulating the salinization of coastal landscapes. In press, Annual Reviews of Marine Science.
  • *Wittyngham, S.S., Johnson, D.S., *Chen, Y. and Kirwan, M.L., 2024. A small invertebrate grazer drives saltmarsh carbon storage and recovery. Ecology e4385. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/r/ecy.
  • *Smith, A., Guntenspergen, G., Carr, J., Walters, D., and Kirwan, M., 2024. Microtopographic variation as a potential early indicator of ecosystem state change and vulnerability in salt marshes. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-024-01368-1.
  • *Smith, A.J., *Valentine, K., *Small, J.M., Khan, A., Gedan, K., Nordio, G., Fagherazzi, S. and Kirwan, M.L., 2024. Litter decomposition in retreating coastal forests. Estuaries and Coasts 47, 1139–1149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-024-01358-3
  • Zhang, J., Mao, D., Liu, J., *Chen, Y., Kirwan, M., Sanders, C., Zhou, J., Lu, Z., Qin, G., Huang, X., Yan, H., Jiao, N., Su, J., Wang, F. 2024. Spartina alterniflora invasion benefits blue
    carbon sequestration in China. Science Bulletin 69, 1991-2000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2024.04.049
    2095-9273    .

2023

  • *Y. Chen, M.L. Kirwan, Upland forest retreat lags behind sea-level rise in the mid-Atlantic coast. Glob. Chang. Biol. (In press).
  • *G.D. Molino, J.A. Carr, N.K. Ganju, M.L. Kirwan, Biophysical drivers of coastal treeline elevation. J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci. (In press).
  • *Y. Chen, M.L. Kirwan, Rapid greening in mangroves. Nat. Ecol. Evol. [commentary on Zhang et al.] (In press).
  • *M.B. Barksdale, C.J. Hein, M.L. Kirwan, Shoreface erosion counters blue carbon accumulation in transgressive barrier-island systems. Nat. Commun. (In press).
  • *A.J. Smith, K. McGlathery, *Y. Chen, C.J. Ewers Lewis, S.C. Doney, K. Gedan, C.K. LaRoche, P. Berg, M.L. Pace, J.C. Zinnert, M.L. Kirwan, Compensatory Mechanisms Absorb Regional Carbon Losses Within a Rapidly Shifting Coastal Mosaic. Ecosystems. (2023).
  • J.Y. Ding, N. McDowell, Y. Fang, N. Ward, M. Kirwan, P. Regier, P. Megonigal, P. Zhang, H. Zhang, W. Wang, W. Li, S. Pennington, S. Wilson, A. Stearns, V. Bailey, Modelling the mechanisms of conifer mortality under seawater exposure. New Phytologist 239: 1679-1691 (2023).
  • I.R.B. Reeves, L.J. Moore, *K. Valentine, S. Fagherazzi, M.L. Kirwan, Sediment exchange across coastal barrier landscapes alters ecosystem extents. Geophys. Res. Lett. 50, e2023GL103680 (2023).
  • C.J. Hein, M.L. Kirwan, Marine transgression in modern times. Ann. Rev. Mar. Sci. 16 (2024).
  • M.L. Kirwan, J.P. Megonigal, G. Noyce, *A.J. Smith, Geomorphic and ecological constraints on the coastal carbon sink. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. (2023).
  • L.O. Ohenhen, M. Shirzaei, C. Ojha, M.L. Kirwan, Hidden vulnerability of US Atlantic coast to sea-level rise due to vertical land motion. Nat. Commun. 14, 2038 (2023).
  • *K. Valentine, *E.R. Herbert, *D.C. Walters, *Y. Chen, *A.J. Smith, M.L. Kirwan, Climate-driven tradeoffs between landscape connectivity and the maintenance of the coastal carbon sink. Nat. Commun. 14, 1137 (2023).
  • G.L. Noyce,  *A.J. Smith, M.L. Kirwan, R.L. Rich, J.P. Megonigal, Oxygen priming induced by elevated CO2 reduces carbon accumulation and methane emissions in coastal wetlands. Nat. Geosci. 16, 63–68 (2023).
  • J.P. Belliard, O. Gourgue, G. Govers, M.L. Kirwan, S. Temmerman, Coastal wetland adaptability to sea level rise: The neglected role of semi-diurnal vs. diurnal tides. Limnol. Oceanogr. Lett. 8: 340-349 (2023).
  • G. Nordio, R. Frederiks, M. Hingst, J. Carr, M.L. Kirwan, K. Gedan, H. Michael, S. Fagherazzi, Frequent Storm Surges Affect the Groundwater of Coastal Ecosystems. Geophys. Res. Lett. 50 (2023).

2022

  • *Y. Chen, M.L. Kirwan, A phenology- and trend-based approach for accurate mapping of sea-level driven coastal forest retreat. Remote Sens. Environ. 281, 113229 (2022).
  • *Y. Chen, M.L. Kirwan, Climate-driven decoupling of wetland and upland biomass trends on the mid-Atlantic coast. Nat. Geosci. (2022).
  • N.G. McDowell, M. Ball, B. Bond‐Lamberty, M.L. Kirwan, K.W. Krauss, J.P. Megonigal, M. Mencuccini, N.D. Ward, M.N. Weintraub, V. Bailey, Processes and mechanisms of coastal woody‐plant mortality. Glob. Chang. Biol. 28, 5881–5900 (2022).
  • *G.D. Molino, J.A. Carr, N.K. Ganju, M.L. Kirwan, Variability in marsh migration potential determined by topographic rather than anthropogenic constraints in the Chesapeake Bay region. Limnol. Oceanogr. Lett. (2022).
  • *A.J. Smith, G.L. Noyce, J.P. Megonigal, G.R. Guntenspergen, M.L. Kirwan, Temperature optimum for marsh resilience and carbon accumulation revealed in a whole ecosystem warming experiment. Glob. Chang. Biol. (2022).
  • *D.J. Coleman, M. Schuerch, S. Temmerman, G. Guntenspergen, C.G. Smith, M.L. Kirwan, Reconciling models and measurements of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise. Limnol. Oceanogr. Lett. 7, 140–149 (2022).
  • *E.A. Hall, *G.D. Molino, *T.C. Messerschmidt, M.L. Kirwan, Hidden levees: Small-scale flood defense on rural coasts. Anthropocene 40, 100350 (2022).
  • S. Zaytseva, L. Shaw, J. Shi, M.L. Kirwan, R. Lipcius, Pattern formation in marsh ecosystems modeled through the interaction of marsh vegetation, mussels and sediment. J. Theor. Biol. 543, 111102 (2022).

2021

  • *A.K. Langston, *D.J. Coleman, N.W. Jung, J.L. Shawler, *A.J. Smith, B.L. Williams, S.S. Wittyngham, R.M. Chambers, J.E. Perry, M.L. Kirwan, The Effect of Marsh Age on Ecosystem Function in a Rapidly Transgressing Marsh. Ecosystems. (2021).
  • *T.C. Messerschmidt, *A.K. Langston, M.L. Kirwan, Asymmetric root distributions reveal press–pulse responses in retreating coastal forests. Ecology. 102 (2021).
  • F. Wang, C.J. Sanders, I.R. Santos, J. Tang, M. Schuerch, M.L. Kirwan, R.E. Kopp, K. Zhu, X. Li, J. Yuan, W. Liu, Z. Li, Global blue carbon accumulation in tidal wetlands increases with climate change. Natl. Sci. Rev. 8 (2021).
  • *A.J. Smith, M.L. Kirwan, Sea Level‐Driven Marsh Migration Results in Rapid Net Loss of Carbon. Geophys. Res. Lett. 48, 1–11 (2021).
  • *M.N. Gillen, *T.C. Messerschmidt, M.L. Kirwan, Biophysical controls of marsh soil shear strength along an estuarine salinity gradient. Earth Surf. Dyn. 9, 413–421 (2021).
  • *A.J. Rietl, J.P. Megonigal, *E.R. Herbert, M.L. Kirwan, Vegetation Type and Decomposition Priming Mediate Brackish Marsh Carbon Accumulation Under Interacting Facets of Global Change. Geophys. Res. Lett. 48, 1–8 (2021).
  • *O. Duran Vinent, *E.R. Herbert, *D.J. Coleman, J.D. Himmelstein, M.L. Kirwan, Onset of runaway fragmentation of salt marshes. One Earth. 4, 506–516 (2021).
  • *D.J. Coleman, K. Rogers, D.R. Corbett, C.J. Owers, M.L. Kirwan, The geomorphic impact of mangrove encroachment in an Australian salt marsh. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 251 (2021).
  • *E.R. Herbert, L. Windham-Myers, M.L. Kirwan, Sea-level rise enhances carbon accumulation in United States tidal wetlands. One Earth. 4, 425–433 (2021).
  • N.L. Christensen, P.A. Cunningham, K. Matthews, I.C. Anderson, M.J. Brush, S. Cohen, C.A. Currin, S. Ensign, N.S. Hall, P.N. Halpin, M.L. Kirwan, J.R. McNinch, H.W. Paerl, M.F. Piehler, A.B. Rodriguez, C.R. Tobias, J.R. Walters, Ecosystem-based management for military training, biodiversity, carbon storage and climate resiliency on a complex coastal land/water-scape. J. Environ. Manage. 280, 111755 (2021).
  • C. Wang, L. Schepers, M.L. Kirwan, E. Belluco, A. D’Alpaos, Q. Wang, S. Yin, S. Temmerman, Different coastal marsh sites reflect similar topographic conditions under which bare patches and vegetation recovery occur. Earth Surf. Dyn. 9, 71–88 (2021).
  • *A.K. Langston, C.R. Alexander, M. Alber, M.L. Kirwan, Beyond 2100: Elevation capital disguises salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise in Georgia, USA. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 249, 107093 (2021).
  • M.J. Norwood, N.D. Ward, N.G. McDowell, A.N. Myers‐Pigg, B. Bond‐Lamberty, J. Indivero, S. Pennington, W. Wang, M.L. Kirwan, A. M. Hopple, J. P. Megonigal, Coastal Forest Seawater Exposure Increases Stem Methane Concentration. J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosciences. 126, 1–13 (2021).
  • *D.C. Walters, J.A. Carr, A. Hockaday, J.A. Jones, E. McFarland, K.E. Kovalenko, M.L. Kirwan, D.R. Cahoon, G.R. Guntenspergen, Experimental Tree Mortality Does Not Induce Marsh Transgression in a Chesapeake Bay Low-Lying Coastal Forest. Front. Mar. Sci. 8 (2021).
  • *J. Himmelstein, *O. Duran Vinent, S. Temmerman, M.L. Kirwan, Mechanisms of pond expansion in a rapidly submerging marsh. Front. Mar. Sci. 8:704768 (2021).

2020

  • #A.E. Braswell, J.B. Heffernan, M.L. Kirwan, How Old Are Marshes on the East Coast, USA? Complex Patterns in Wetland Age Within and Among Regions. Geophys. Res. Lett. 47 (2020).
  • #L. Schepers, P. Brennand, M.L. Kirwan, G.R. Guntenspergen, S. Temmerman, Coastal Marsh Degradation Into Ponds Induces Irreversible Elevation Loss Relative to Sea Level in a Microtidal System. Geophys. Res. Lett. 47, 1–10 (2020).
  • J. Carr, G. Guntenspergen, M.L. Kirwan, Modeling Marsh‐Forest Boundary Transgression in Response to Storms and Sea‐Level Rise. Geophys. Res. Lett. 47 (2020).
  • S. L. Yang, X. Luo, S. Temmerman, M.L. Kirwan, T. Bouma, K. Xu, S. Zhang, J. Fan, B. Shi, H. Yang, Y. P. Wang, X. Shi, S. Gao, Role of delta-front erosion in sustaining salt marshes under sea-level rise and fluvial sediment decline. Limnol. Oceanogr. 65, 1990–2009 (2020).
  • *A.K. Langston, *O. Durán Vinent, *E.R. Herbert, M.L. Kirwan, Modeling long-term salt marsh response to sea level rise in the sediment-deficient Plum Island Estuary, MA. Limnol. Oceanogr. 65, 2142–2157 (2020).
  • *D.J. Coleman, N.K. Ganju, M.L. Kirwan, Sediment Delivery to a Tidal Marsh Platform Is Minimized by Source Decoupling and Flux Convergence. J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf. 125, 1–13 (2020).
  • #L. Schepers, M.L. Kirwan, G.R. Guntenspergen, S. Temmerman, Evaluating indicators of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise along a historical marsh loss gradient. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms. 45, 2107–2117 (2020).
  • W. Liu, X. Chen, D.R. Strong, S.C. Pennings, M.L. Kirwan, X. Chen, Y. Zhang, Climate and geographic adaptation drive latitudinal clines in biomass of a widespread saltmarsh plant in its native and introduced ranges. Limnol. Oceanogr. 65, 1399–1409 (2020).
  • J.P. Megonigal, M.L. Kirwan, P. Dijkstra, R. Rich, P. Thornton, “Coastal Wetland Carbon Sequestration in a Warmer Climate (Final Report)” (Argonne, IL (United States), 2020).
  • I.R.B. Reeves, L.J. Moore, E.B. Goldstein, A.B. Murray, J.A. Carr, M.L. Kirwan, Impacts of Seagrass Dynamics on the Coupled Long-Term Evolution of Barrier-Marsh-Bay Systems. J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosciences. 125, 1–19 (2020).
  • P.L. Wiberg, S. Fagherazzi, M.L. Kirwan, Improving Predictions of Salt Marsh Evolution Through Better Integration of Data and Models. Ann. Rev. Mar. Sci. 12, 389–413 (2020).

2019

  • *N.W. Schieder, M.L. Kirwan, Sea-level driven acceleration in coastal forest retreat. Geology. 47, 1151–1155 (2019).
  • *O.D. Vinent, R.J. Johnston, M.L. Kirwan, A.D. Leroux, V.L. Martin, Coastal dynamics and adaptation to uncertain sea level rise: Optimal portfolios for salt marsh migration. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 98, 102262 (2019).
  • G.L. Noyce, M.L. Kirwan, R.L. Rich, J.P. Megonigal, Asynchronous nitrogen supply and demand produce nonlinear plant allocation responses to warming and elevated CO2. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 116, 21623–21628 (2019).
  • M. Lu, *E.R. Herbert, J.A. Langley, M.L. Kirwan, J.P. Megonigal, Nitrogen status regulates morphological adaptation of marsh plants to elevated CO2. Nat. Clim. Chang. 9, 764–768 (2019).
  • B.R. Silliman, Q. He, C. Angelini, C.S. Smith, M.L. Kirwan, P. Daleo, J.J. Renzi, J. Butler, T.Z. Osborne, J.C. Nifong, J. van de Koppel, Field Experiments and Meta-analysis Reveal Wetland Vegetation as a Crucial Element in the Coastal Protection Paradigm. Curr. Biol. 29, 1800-1806.e3 (2019).
  • M.L. Kirwan, K.B. Gedan, Sea-level driven land conversion and the formation of ghost forests. Nat. Clim. Chang. 9, 450–457 (2019).
  • *D.J. Coleman, M.L. Kirwan, The effect of a small vegetation dieback event on salt marsh sediment transport. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms. 44, 944–952 (2019).
  • *M.S. Duvall, P.L. Wiberg, M.L. Kirwan, Controls on Sediment Suspension, Flux, and Marsh Deposition near a Bay-Marsh Boundary. Estuaries and Coasts. 42, 403–424 (2019).
  • J.P. Megonigal, S. Chapman, A. Langley, S. Crooks, P. Dijkstra, M.L. Kirwan, Coastal wetland responses to warming. In: Windham-Myers, L., Crooks, S., and Troxler, T.G: A Blue Carbon Primer: The State of Coastal Wetland Carbon Science, Practice, and Policy. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 133-144 (2019).

2018

  • M. Schuerch, T. Spencer, S. Temmerman, M.L. Kirwan, C. Wolff, D. Lincke, C.J. McOwen, M.D. Pickering, R. Reef, A.T. Vafeidis, J. Hinkel, R.J. Nicholls, S. Brown, Future response of global coastal wetlands to sea-level rise. Nature. 561, 231–234 (2018).
  • B.P. Horton, I. Shennan, S.L. Bradley, N. Cahill, M.L. Kirwan, R.E. Kopp, T.A. Shaw, Predicting marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise using Holocene relative sea-level data. Nat. Commun. 9, 4–10 (2018).
  • R. Lauzon, A.B. Murray, L.J. Moore, D.C. Walters, M.L. Kirwan, S. Fagherazzi, Effects of marsh edge erosion in coupled barrier island-marsh systems and geometric constraints on marsh evolution. J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf. 123, 1218–1234 (2018).
  • *N.W. Schieder, *D.C. Walters, M.L. Kirwan, Massive Upland to Wetland Conversion Compensated for Historical Marsh Loss in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Estuaries and Coasts. 41, 940–951 (2018).
  • L.J. Moore, E.B. Goldstein, *O. Duran Vinent, *D. Walters, M.L. Kirwan, R. Lauzon, A.B. Murray, P. Ruggiero, The Role of Ecomorphodynamic Feedbacks and Landscape Couplings in Influencing the Response of Barriers to Changing Climate. In: Moore L., Murray A. (eds) Barrier Dynamics and Response to Changing Climate. Springer, Cham. (2018).

2017

  • M.L. Kirwan, S. Temmerman, G.R. Guntenspergen, S. Fagherazzi, Reply to “Marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise.” Nat. Clim. Chang. 7, 756–757 (2017).
  • *E. Herbert, M.L. Kirwan, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Geospatial Marsh Model: Elevation Maps (2017).
  • J. van Belzen, J. van Belzen, J. van de Koppel, M.L. Kirwan, G.R. Guntenspergen, T.J. Bouma, Disturbance-recovery experiments to assess resilience of ecosystems along a stress gradient. Protoc. Exch. (2017).
  • J. van Belzen, J. van de Koppel, M.L. Kirwan, D. van der Wal, P.M.J. Herman, V. Dakos, S. Kéfi, M. Scheffer, G.R. Guntenspergen, T.J. Bouma, Vegetation recovery in tidal marshes reveals critical slowing down under increased inundation. Nat. Commun. 8 (2017).
  • K.W. Krauss, N. Cormier, M.J. Osland, M.L. Kirwan, C.L. Stagg, J.A. Nestlerode, M.J. Russell, A.S. From, A.C. Spivak, D.D. Dantin, J.E. Harvey, A.E. Almario, Created mangrove wetlands store belowground carbon and surface elevation change enables them to adjust to sea-level rise. Sci. Rep. 7, 1–11 (2017).
  • *C.D. Deaton, C.J. Hein, M.L. Kirwan, Barrier island migration dominates ecogeomorphic feedbacks and drives salt marsh loss along the Virginia Atlantic Coast, USA. Geology. 45, 123–126 (2017).
  • N.K. Ganju, Z. Defne, M.L. Kirwan, S. Fagherazzi, A. D’Alpaos, L. Carniello, Spatially integrative metrics reveal hidden vulnerability of microtidal salt marshes. Nat. Commun. 8, 14156 (2017).
  • #L. Schepers, M.L. Kirwan, G. Guntenspergen, S. Temmerman, Spatio-temporal development of vegetation die-off in a submerging coastal marsh. Limnol. Oceanogr. 62, 137–150 (2017)

2016

  • M.L. Kirwan, *D.C. Walters, W.G. Reay, J.A. Carr, Sea level driven marsh expansion in a coupled model of marsh erosion and migration. Geophys. Res. Lett. 43, 4366–4373 (2016).
  • *D.C. Walters, M.L. Kirwan, Optimal hurricane overwash thickness for maximizing marsh resilience to sea level rise. Ecol. Evol. 6, 2948–2956 (2016).
  • M.L. Kirwan, S. Temmerman, E.E. Skeehan, G.R. Guntenspergen, S. Fagherazzi, Overestimation of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise. Nat. Clim. Chang. 6, 253–260 (2016).

2015

  • N.K. Ganju, M.L. Kirwan, P.J. Dickhudt, G.R. Guntenspergen, D.R. Cahoon, K.D. Kroeger, Sediment transport-based metrics of wetland stability. Geophys. Res. Lett. 42, 7992–8000 (2015).
  • S. Temmerman, M.L. Kirwan, Building land with a rising sea. Science. 349, 588–589 (2015).
  • M.L. Kirwan, G.R. Guntenspergen, Response of Plant Productivity to Experimental Flooding in a Stable and a Submerging Marsh. Ecosystems. 18, 903–913 (2015).

2014

  • M.L. Kirwan, G.R. Guntenspergen, J.A. Langley, Temperature sensitivity of organic-matter decay in tidal marshes. Biogeosciences. 11, 4801–4808 (2014).

2013

  • M.L. Kirwan, J.P. Megonigal, Tidal wetland stability in the face of human impacts and sea-level rise. Nature. 504, 53–60 (2013).
  • N.K. Ganju, N.J. Nidzieko, M.L. Kirwan, Inferring tidal wetland stability from channel sediment fluxes: Observations and a conceptual model. J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf. 118, 2045–2058 (2013).
  • P.R. Hill, R.W. Butler, R.W. Elner, C. Houser, M.L. Kirwan, A. Lambert, et al., “Impacts of sea level rise on Roberts Bank (Fraser Delta, British Columbia)” (2013).
  • M.L. Kirwan, J.A. Langley, G.R. Guntenspergen, J.P. Megonigal, The impact of sea-level rise on organic matter decay rates in Chesapeake Bay brackish tidal marshes. Biogeosciences. 10, 1869–1876 (2013).

Selected publications prior to 2013

  • M.L. Kirwan, S.M. Mudd, Response of salt-marsh carbon accumulation to climate change. Nature 489, 550-553 (2012).
  • M.L. Kirwan, G.R. Guntenspergen, Feedbacks between inundation, root production, and shoot growth in a rapidly submerging brackish marsh. J. Ecol. 100, 764-770 (2012).
  • K.B. Gedan, M.L. Kirwan, E. Wolanski, E.B. Barbier, B.R. Silliman, The present and future role of coastal wetland vegetation in protecting shorelines: Answering recent challenges to the paradigm. Clim. Change v. 106, p. 7–29 (2011).
  • M.L. Kirwan, G.R. Guntenspergen, A. D’Alpaos, J.T. Morris, S.M. Mudd, S. Temmerman, Limits on the adaptability of coastal marshes to rising sea level. Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L2340 (2010).
  • M.L. Kirwan, A.B. Murray, A coupled geomorphic and ecological model of tidal marsh evolution. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. v. 104, p. 6118-6122 (2007).