Impacts
From contaminating freshwater sources to crop yield loss, saltwater intrusion has both visible and invisible impacts. As saltwater intrusion moves across the landscape, it can have impacts on many different land uses. To highlight how these changes progress across the Mid-Atlantic, we broadly define four land-use groups:
Agriculture: Land used for cultivating crops and livestock
Forests: An intricate ecosystem of woody and herbaceous vegetation that regulates, manages, and supports environmental systems
Wetlands: Land that is inundated most, if not all of the time, with distinct vegetation and soil. Crucial for wildlife habitat and ecosystem services
Infrastructures and Water: Systems in place that connect us to the waterways we rely on
Summarizes the cause and impacts of saltwater intrusion on various landscapes
