Citation:

Lopez, R D. AND D T. Heggem. SATELLITE IMAGERY ANALYSES OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER: A MAP SERIES FROM HEADWATERS TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. Presented at EPA Science Forum 2004, Washington, DC, June 1-3, 2004.

Impact/Purpose:

The primary objectives of this research are to:

Develop methodologies so that landscape indicator values generated from different sensors on different dates (but in the same areas) are comparable; differences in metric values result from landscape changes and not differences in the sensors;

Quantify relationships between landscape metrics generated from wall-to-wall spatial data and (1) specific parameters related to water resource conditions in different environmental settings across the US, including but not limited to nutrients, sediment, and benthic communities, and (2) multi-species habitat suitability;

Develop and validate multivariate models based on quantification studies;

Develop GIS/model assessment protocols and tools to characterize risk of nutrient and sediment TMDL exceedence;

Complete an initial draft (potentially web based) of a national landscape condition assessment.

This research directly supports long-term goals established in ORDs multiyear plans related to GPRA Goal 2 (Water) and GPRA Goal 4 (Healthy Communities and Ecosystems), although funding for this task comes from Goal 4. Relative to the GRPA Goal 2 multiyear plan, this research is intended to "provide tools to assess and diagnose impairment in aquatic systems and the sources of associated stressors." Relative to the Goal 4 Multiyear Plan this research is intended to (1) provide states and tribes with an ability to assess the condition of waterbodies in a scientifically defensible and representative way, while allowing for aggregation and assessment of trends at multiple scales, (2) assist Federal, State and Local managers in diagnosing the probable cause and forecasting future conditions in a scientifically defensible manner to protect and restore ecosystems, and (3) provide Federal, State and Local managers with a scientifically defensible way to assess current and future ecological conditions, and probable causes of impairments, and a way to evaluate alternative future management scenarios.

Description:

The purpose of the Mississippi River map series is to provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with a comprehensive and contemporary view of the Mississippi River, and to provide a basis for identifying ecological vulnerability throughout the Mississippi River Basin. The current map series components consist of several printable posters, which have a nominal scale of 1 inch = 3 miles. We optimized the number and size of the presentations to provide detail in the images, and are using the underlying Landsat imagery to explore the presence of persistent available nesting habitat for the least tern (Sterna antillarum), an endangered bird species. A miniature scale poster set is also included on a compact disc for quick reference for managers and for field activities throughout the river basin. This remote sensing product has been actively used the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, and other important stakeholders in the river basin. This map series is an important first step toward developing a system-wide approach to understanding the functioning of large rivers at a landscape scale.

Record Details: