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NOAA's Greater Atlantic Region staff have completed a new GARFO Policy Series publication, The Effects of Tide Gates on New England Wetlands and Other Tidal Resources.
The publication describes the types of tide gates found in the New England coastal region, the range of physical, chemical, and biological impacts commonly observed, and proposes a number of recommendations that regulatory, government funding, and natural resource agencies should consider to avoid and minimize these impacts.
Tide gates are structures used to protect personal property, agricultural land, and public infrastructure from flooding due to extreme tides and storm surges by restricting tidal flow. However, these structures can result in impacts to marine, estuarine, and tidal riverine resources, including but not limited to resident and diadromous fish, shellfish, coastal marshes, seagrass, macroalgal beds, mudflats, and tidal creeks. In addition, the increasing effects of climate change, including sea level rise and more extreme precipitation patterns, will amplify many of the adverse effects of tide gates.
To read our publication or others in the GARFO Policy Series visit our website.
 Self-regulating tide gates with floats at Route 1, Town Line Brook, Revere, Massachusetts. Photo credit: Edward Reiner, US EPA.
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