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Thesis
IDENTIFYING SUITABLE SITES FOR WETLAND MITIGATION AT THE WATERSHED SCALE
University of West Florida
Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida
2007
Abstract
Wetland mitigation is often managed with on-site, in-kind practices despite the effects of wetland loss on regional ecosystems. The goal of this research is to demonstrate the use of a GIS spatial data model as a prescreening tool for selecting wetland mitigation sites at the watershed scale. This study uses topography, hydrology, soils and landcover information as variables to characterize site conditions for two watersheds in Northwest Florida. Few studies of this type have been done in coastal plains where flat terrain presents different challenges in watershed modeling. Thirty meter DEMs provided the basis for derivation of surface flow variables which included slope, contributing drainage area (CDA), nearness to stream and wetness index. Each variable was assigned a weight of influence on wetland location. Environmental criteria for each variable were scored indicating less or more favorable site conditions. A geometric mean of the weights of the variables and their criterion scores was calculated to produce a suitability map of potential locations. Field surveys performed to approximate CDA and measure wetness potential had varied outcomes but land use verification showed consistent results. This data model can be easily adapted to perform an initial screening of wetland sites for different management goals.
Details
- Title
- IDENTIFYING SUITABLE SITES FOR WETLAND MITIGATION AT THE WATERSHED SCALE
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Publisher
- University of West Florida
- Format
- text
- Copyright
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
- Identifiers
- 99380090735306600
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Science (MS)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida