Wetlands
Wetlands
Wetlands offer many significant benefits for fish and wildlife as well as society. They protect coastal communities from flooding, improve water quality, control shoreline erosion, and provide recreational opportunities. WARC researchers provide scientific understanding of how wetlands function, map their abundance along the coast, and investigate how they are impacted by environmental stressors.
Filter Total Items: 60
Spatial Analysis Support for Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (Breaux Bill) Planning Activities
WARC first implemented geographic information systems (GIS) in 1980 to help monitor the nature and extent of wetland habitat changes. The center continues to use GIS, remote sensing, and other computer based technologies to address a wide range of natural resource related issues.
Spatial Analysis of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act Projects
As the first federally mandated restoration program, Louisiana enacted the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) to address Louisiana’s land loss crisis.
Barriers and Opportunities for Landward Migration of Coastal Wetlands along Texas' Upper and Middle Coast
Researchers at WARC will use data and models to produce probabilistic maps of current and future wetland inundation, coastal wetland extent, and coastal and wetland trangression.
Vertical Control of Rod Surface Elevation Table (RSET) Benchmarks to Assess Implications of Sea-Level Rise within Texas Coastal Refuges
The USGS will establish Rod Surface Elevation Tables at five National Wildlife Refuges on the Texas coast. This work will support climate adaptation and resilience planning by identifying areas susceptible to loss and degradation due to sea-level rise and extreme climatic events along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Ecology of the Diamondback Terrapin: Demographics, Movements, and Habitat Use
In response to declining populations, researchers at WARC are collecting data on demographics, movement patterns and habitat use, ecological niche and foraging ecology, and nesting ecology of diamondback terrapins.
Climate Change Effects on Coastal Marsh Foundation Species
Mangrove forests have migrated inland over the past few decades at many locations along the northern Gulf coast. This expansion has been attributed to factors associated with climate change, such as increased salinity resulting from sea-level rise and longer intervals between winter freezes, which can kill cold-intolerant mangrove species.
Sources of Recurring Outbreaks of Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife) Near the Mouth of the Mississippi River
USGS researchers are examining germination of Purple Loosestrife to determine if the seed bank can reestablish this invasive species in the Mississippi Delta.
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana’s Monitoring and Adaptive Management
The USGS is participating in the Louisiana-Trustee Implementation Group Monitoring and Adaptive Management work group to assess the injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and to select the appropriate restoration measures to compensate the public for the injury to coastal and marine resources.
Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
This study will employ a space for time substitution to show long-term effects of rising sea-level and increasing salinity on vegetation community structure, primary production and decomposition. Productivity and decomposition rates will be estimated for four wetland plant community types defined by salinity zones and dominant plant species.
Improving Model Predictions to Support the 2029 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan
USGS and partners will identify the causes for the lack of predictive power in some models included in the 2023 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, and suggest ways to improve the models in future Louisiana Coastal Master Plan modeling exercises.
Decision Support Tools for Everglades Ecosystem-Based Management
The USGS Joint Ecosystem Modeling team will work with partners to identify and develop decision support tools for Everglades water management.
Evaluating Population Viability and Habitat Suitability for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Under Future Climate and Management Conditions
WARC will assess Cape Sable seaside sparrow population response and viability under different management and habitat change scenarios. The USGS EverSparrow model will be run on future scenarios, and differences in the predicted probability of presence and the efficacy of varying conservation strategies will be evaluated.