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WestuRe: U.S. Pacific Coast estuary/watershed data and R tools
Citation:
Frazier, M., D. Reusser, H. Lee, L. McCoy, C. Brown, AND Walt Nelson. WestuRe: U.S. Pacific Coast estuary/watershed data and R tools. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R/13/067, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
The WestuRe Project developed by WED scientists, and collaborators, provides data and tools that facilitate research within estuaries along the U.S. Pacific coast. There are about 350 estuaries along the U.S. Pacific Coast. Basic descriptive data for these estuaries, such as their size and watershed area, are critical for coastal-scale research and conservation planning. Until now, however, these data were difficult to find and standardize. The WestuRe project provides a framework to: (1) make general descriptive data for estuaries and their watersheds more available, and (2) provide tools to make analyzing and visualizing these data easier.
Description:
There are about 350 estuaries along the U.S. Pacific Coast. Basic descriptive data for these estuaries, such as their size and watershed area, are important for coastal-scale research and conservation planning. However, this information is spread among many sources and can be difficult to find and standardize. The goal of the WestuRe Project is to provide a framework to: (1) make general descriptive data for estuaries and their watersheds more accessible, and (2) provide tools to make analyzing and visualizing these data easier. The WestuRe download includes data describing U.S. Pacific Coast estuaries and their corresponding watersheds from northern Washington (including from Port Townsend west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Cape Flattery, 48.383°N) to southern California (Tijuana Estuary, 32.557°N), excluding islands and Puget Sound proper. The WestuRe data includes shapefiles of estuary and watershed polygons as well as CSV files summarizing geomorphological and climate data. The WestuRe tools help users extract and view relevant data using the statistical program R and Google Earth.