FROM MARSH TO CLEAN ENERGY
The Adaptation of Bioethanol Farming to Sea Level Rising
The Adaptation of Bioethanol Farming to Sea Level Rising
Location: Saugus, MA
Time: Fall 2023
Type: Individual
Instructor: Amy Whiteside
Keywords: Climate Change / Restoration / Productive Landscape
Time: Fall 2023
Type: Individual
Instructor: Amy Whiteside
Keywords: Climate Change / Restoration / Productive Landscape
As climate change accelerates sea level rise, coastal regions are increasingly grappling with the escalating threats of seawater erosion and flooding. Former salt marshes are becoming submerged, and coastal forests are gradually turning into ghost forests. This shared ecological crisis has forged a unique connection between two distinct sites through an innovative, productive landscape initiative.
Rumney Marsh, located in the Town of Saugus, is a coastal salt marsh to the north of Boston. This area is densely populated with the salt marsh plant Spartina Alterniflora, renowned for its substantial biomass energy potential. The nearby defunct Wheelabrator incinerator stands as a beacon of opportunity to capitalize on this biomass resource. Through advanced processes like hydrolysis and fermentation, bioethanol produced from Spartina is spearheading a new industrial opportunity in Saugus, demonstrating a novel approach to ecological challenges. In parallel, along the Massachusetts coast South of Boston, tidal inundation of the North River is resulting in an abundance of dead trees. The branches and trunks of these trees, transported to Rumney Marsh, are used to support structures that aid in sediment capture, thus helping to shield the salt marsh from the threat of seawater erosion.