ABSTRACT
In winter 2002, portions of the salt marshes of coastal Georgia began experiencing dieback, affecting both Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus.  During the summer of 2003, a field survey of 18 widely distributed sites along the coast was conducted to document the characteristics of and obvious patterns in dieback areas.  Most dieback areas were small (<1 acre), did not show spatial patterns and occurred along the edges of tidal creeks.  There were no consistent differences in soil salinity, pH or redox potential between dieback and healthy areas.  A transplant study was carried out to determine if healthy plants can survive in dieback areas. Transplant survival was 100% from May to October 2003, and growth was observed in both
dieback and healthy (control) areas. The results of this study suggest that drought, along with various contributing factors, was the ultimate cause of salt marsh dieback in coastal Georgia.