The United States (U.S.) coastal plain is subject to rising sea levels, land subsidence, more severe coastal storms, and more intense droughts. These changes lead to inputs of marine salts into freshwater-dependent coastal systems, creating saltwater intrusion. The penetration of salinity into the coastal interior is exacerbated by groundwater extraction and the high density of agricultural canals and ditches throughout much of the rural U.S. landscape. Together saltwater intrusion and sea level rise (SWISLR) create substantial changes to the social-ecological systems situated along the coastal plain. Many scholars and practitioners are engaged in studying and managing SWISLR impacts on social, economic, and ecological systems. However, most efforts are localized and disconnected, despite a widespread desire to understand this common threat. In addition to variable rates of sea level rise across the U.S. outer coastal plain, differences in geomorphic setting, water resources infrastructure and management, and climate extremes are resulting in different patterns of saltwater intrusion. Understanding both the absolute magnitude of this rapid environmental change, and the causes and consequences for its spatial and temporal variation presents an opportunity to build new mechanistic models to link directional climate change to temporally and spatially dynamic socio-environmental impacts. The diverse trajectories of change offer rich opportunities to test and refine modern theories of ecosystem state change in systems with exceptionally strong socioecological feedbacks.

中文翻译：

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海水入侵和海平面上升威胁着美国农村沿海景观和社区

美国（US）沿海平原遭受海平面上升、地面沉降、更严重的沿海风暴和更严重的干旱。这些变化导致海洋盐进入依赖淡水的沿海系统，造成盐水入侵。地下水开采以及美国大部分农村地区高密度的农业运河和沟渠加剧了盐分向沿海内陆的渗透。咸水入侵和海平面上升（SWISLR）共同给沿海平原的社会生态系统带来了巨大的变化。许多学者和从业者致力于研究和管理 SWISLR 对社会、经济和生态系统的影响。然而，尽管人们普遍希望了解这一共同威胁，但大多数努力都是局部的、互不相关的。除了美国外海岸平原海平面上升速度存在差异外，地貌环境、水资源基础设施和管理以及极端气候的差异也导致了不同的咸水入侵模式。了解这种快速环境变化的绝对幅度及其时空变化的原因和后果，为建立新的机制模型提供了机会，将定向气候变化与时空动态社会环境影响联系起来。多样化的变化轨迹为在具有异常强大的社会生态反馈的系统中测试和完善生态系统状态变化的现代理论提供了丰富的机会。