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Mapping isolated wetlands with GIS and remote sensing in North Central Florida, USA
Citation:
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
Wetlands perform many functions on the landscape related to water quality and quantity, and provide habitat for myriad organisms. The identification of wetlands can be problematic, especially in areas with numerous isolated wetlands, in mixed landuse areas, or over large geographic zones. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory (USEPA) is working to identify and inventory wetlands using remote sensing and GIS technology, and is focusing on isolated wetland systems. Isolated wetlands, or wetlands completely surrounded by uplands, occur in many areas of the United States, often in topographic depressions. Although they are relatively common, little is known about their extent and distribution, which is essential to thoroughly understand their functions and values. Mapping techniques in GIS and remote sensing can provide clues to these basic questions, through the examination of spatial patterns in topography, soils, hydrology, landuse/landcover, and satellite image classification. The USEPA is currently developing mapping techniques to identify and predict the locations of isolated wetlands in the southeastern United States for methods testing. With these new techniques, we have successfully identified isolated wetlands in the study area with >85% accuracy. Development of these methods and tools will be instrumental in mapping isolated wetlands and other wetland types across the US. The ability to accurately map wetlands will ultimately provide valuable information regarding their ecological functions and values.