Five Hydrologic and Landscape Databases for Select National Wildlife Refuges in Southeastern United States

Five hydrologic and landscape databases were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for select National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in southeastern United States: (1) the Cahaba River NWR and contributing watersheds in Alabama, (2) the Caloosahatchee and J.N. "Ding" Darling NWRs and contributing watersheds in Florida, (3) the Clarks River NWR and contributing watersheds in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, (4) the Lower Suwannee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida, and (5) the Okefenokee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida. The databases were developed as an assessment and evaluation tool to use in examining refuge-specific hydrologic patterns and trends as related to water availability and water quality for refuge ecosystems, habitats, and target species. They include hydrologic time-series data, statistics on landscape and hydrologic time-series data, and hydro-ecological metrics that can be used to assess refuge hydrologic conditions. The databases are described and documented in detail in Open File Report 2016-XXXX.