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Quantifying Structural Physical Habitat Attributes Using Lidar and Hyperspectral Imagery (1)
Citation:
HALL, R. K., R. L. Watkins, D. T. HEGGEM, K. B. Jones, P. R. Kaugmann, S. B. Moore, AND S. J. Gregory. Quantifying Structural Physical Habitat Attributes Using Lidar and Hyperspectral Imagery (1). ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT. Springer, New York, NY, , 1-21, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
Structural physical habitat characterization includes measurements of stream size, gradient, channel substrate type and size, riparian vegetation cover, structure and complexity, and anthropogenic alterations. These habitat attributes will vary naturally, even in the absence of anthropogenic disturbances. The heterogeneity or homogeneity of any one physical habitat parameter will vary within any given ecological setting. There are multiple methodologies in assessing stream habitat characteristics, including the qualitative approach of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (Barbour et al. 1999; Barbour et al. 1996; Barbour and Stribling 1991; Pflakin et al. 1989) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) (Gebhardt et al. 1990; Prichard et al. 1998), quantitative protocols used by the US Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program (Meyers 1989; Meador et al. 1993; Fitzpatrick et al. 1998), and USEPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) (Klemm et. al. 1997; Lazorchak et al. 1998), and modified forms which obtain qualitative information and quantitative data (CDFG 2003; Ohio EPA 1987; OCC 1993). Each of these protocols has been developed for the spatial and temporal demands of the program they were designed for. Kaufmann et al., 1999, argue that integrity and repeatability of qualitative information is dependent on the knowledge and experience of the field observer. With an increase in quantitative data, precision and quality (i.e., repeatability) of the data is increased. The challenge for most state and tribal bioassessment programs is to balance acquiring sufficient quantitative data over a given spatial area and temporal period to determine change over time with limited financial resources.
Description:
Structural physical habitat attributes include indices of stream size, channel gradient, substrate size, habitat complexity, and riparian vegetation cover and structure. The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is designed to assess the status and trends of ecological resources at different scales. High resolution remote sensing provides unique capabilities in detecting a variety of features and indicators of environmental health and condition. LIDAR is an airborne scanning laser system that provides data on topography, channel dimensions (width, depth), slope, channel complexity (residual pools, volume, morphometric complexity, hydraulic roughness), riparian vegetation (height and density), dimensions of riparian zone, anthropogenic alterations and disturbances, and channel and riparian interaction. Hyperspectral aerial imagery offers the advantage of high spectral and spatial resolution allowing for the detection and identification of riparian vegetation and natural and anthropogenic features at a resolution not possible with satellite imagery. When combined, or fused, these technologies comprise a powerful geospatial data set for assessing and monitoring lentic and lotic environmental characteristics and condition.
URLs/Downloads:
Quantifying Structural Physical Habitat Attributes Using Lidar and Hyperspectral Imagery (1)