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THE MISUSE OF HYDROLOGIC UNIT MAPS FOR EXTRAPOLATION, REPORTING, AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT
Citation:
Omernik, J M. THE MISUSE OF HYDROLOGIC UNIT MAPS FOR EXTRAPOLATION, REPORTING, AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION. American Water Resources Association, Middleburg, VA, 39(3):563-573, (2003).
Description:
The use of watersheds to conduct research on land-water relationships has expanded recently to include both extrapolation and reporting of water resource information and ecosystem management. More often than not, hydrologic units, and hydrologic unit codes (HUCs) in particular, are used for these purposes, with the implication that hydrologic units are synonymous with watersheds. This paper (1) defines the differences between watersheds and hydrologic units, (2) clarifies the implications of these differences in the use of hydrologic unit frameworks for extrapolation, reporting, and ecosystem management, and (3) suggests an effective way of using information from true watersheds and other reference areas to show national and regional patterns of environmental resources.