A New Brunswick dyke assessment framework

Many salt marshes in New Brunswick have been dyked and drained, but as sea level continues to rise, it will become more and more costly to maintain dykes. Society will have three options - reinforce, realign, or remove the dykes and allow salt marsh to return. Salt marshes act as buffer areas which naturally absorb the impact of wave action and flooding. Thus, one adaptive response to sea level rise is to remove certain dykes and restore lost salt marsh. However, it will not always be an easy or obvious decision. In some regions in New Brunswick, such as the Tantramar Marshes, reinforcement or realignment of dykes will likely be preferred because dykes in this region are protecting vital infrastructure.