Annotated Bibliography LCC/CSC Research Related to Mississippi/Gulf Hypoxia Initiative Page 8 of 8
Annotated Bibliography LCC/CSC Research Related to MRB/Gulf Hypoxia Initiative
February 23, 2016
GRASSLANDS
Grassland Habitats of the South-Central United States. David D. Diamond, Patrick J. Comber; GCP LCC (2015)
As a major priority for the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative, this project develops a computer modeling tool using the best available geospatial data to help identify and prioritize habitat areas so that partners can collaborate more effectively, which will then be tested on two pilot areas. This project complements another Gulf Coast Prairie LCC project related to developing Best Management Practices for land managers and private landowners in southwestern Oklahoma and central Texas to conserve grassland-shrublands prairie habitat.
A Conservation Framework for Priority Species of Grassland-Shrublands of the Southern Great Plains. Project lead Michael Morrison, Texas A&M University; GCP LCC (2014)
Development of Best Management Practices for land managers and private landowners in southwestern Oklahoma and central Texas to conserve grassland-shrublands prairie habitat, benefitting LCC focal species, such as the endangered black-capped vireo, other songbirds such as the painted bunting and Bell’s vireo, and many game species such as turkey and white-tailed deer. It will provide direction for future monitoring, research, and broader dissemination of information to land managers and landowners. This project complements another Gulf Coast Prairie LCC project related to the development of a computer modeling tool that will help partners identify the most important areas to protect and restore.
Targeting grassland conservation: An Estimate of Land-Use Conversion Risk in the Northern Great Plains Project Lead Jeff Nelson, World Wildlife Fund; PPP LCC (2013)
Using land use characteristics and climate variables, this statistical model identifies the factors of grassland conversation and predicts the risk of cropland conversion in the North Great Plains for five and ten year intervals from publication date. Camelina and switchgrass biofuel markets were also analyzed to determine which lands are most likely to convert to these crops.
The Conservation Atlas for Midwest Grasslands: A New Mapping Tool to Support Strategic Decisions and Cross-Sector Collaboration. Dan Lambert, High Brank Conservation Services; FWS Region 3.
The Midwest Grasslands Network has recently synthesized spatial information to display and uphold the ecological and societal values of native, restored, and surrogate grasslands. The Conservation Atlas for Midwest Grasslands is an online mapping tool and information clearinghouse serving the eastern Prairie Potholes, Upper Mississippi River - Great Lakes, and Central Hardwoods ecoregions combining information about grassland values and vulnerabilities to support decisions at multiple scales. Atlas users can view strategic focal areas in relation to current conservation boundaries, bird locations, and areas that are important for water-quality protection, carbon sequestration, and butterfly conservation.
WETLANDS
Assessment of Wetlands Restoration as a Climate Change Adaptation for Water Sustainability in the Grand Kankakee River Watershed. Coordinated by Dr. Alan F. Hamlet; University of Notre Dame; UMGL LCC (in progress)
This project aims to develop a scenario planning decision support tool for wetland habitat restoration in the Kankakee River basin, based on surface and groundwater hydrologic models and other data that enable ecosystem services valuation for waterfowl production, surface water storage, groundwater recharge, hunter and recreational user value, and agricultural production. The model will evaluate these parameters on the landscape at present, and under several scenarios of future climate change and urbanization. Peer-input will inform the valuation outputs and scenarios.
Connecting Hydrology, Ecology, Climate and Land use to inform Wetland conservation and policy in the Plains & Prairie Potholes. Private Investigators: Michael J. Anteau, Mark Wiltermuth, USGS; PPP LCC (2011)
The National Wetlands Inventory for the LCC was completed using geospatial models based on landscape-level land use data. This was completed to aid in monitoring wetlands to assess effects of climate change.
Assessment of Pattern Tile Drainage on Wetland Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Prairie Pothole Region. Robert A Gleason, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center; PPP LCC (2013)
A spatial database that provides a regional characterization of areas at risk to pattern tile drainage (PTD) was created to understand preliminary effects of PTD on ecosystem services such as duck production, water storage and water quality.
Iowa Wetland Assessment and Restorable Wetland Inventory: Improving Wetland Restoration Planning through Processing of Recently Collected LIDAR data for the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa. PPP LCC (2014)
A map of drained wetland basins in the PPR of Iowa and complete data set for the eastern (Region 3) of the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region was created. This new initiative integrates wildlife habitat, water quality and flood attenuation objectives with wetland restoration potential maps to develop multi-objective wetland restoration plans for landscape-scale watershed.
Evaluation and Refinement of a Decision Support Tool (DST) for Mottled Duck Habitat Conservation in the Western Gulf Coast. Mart M. Ballard & Anastasia Krainyk; GCP LCC (in progress)
The Mottled Duck spatially explicit DST provides science-based information about where to apply conservation projects and achieve the greatest biological return on investment. This project will evaluate performance by comparing DST model outputs with survey data gathered from within the Mottled Duck’s range in the Western Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana and provide a quantified measure of accuracy for DST identifications of suitable nesting and brood rearing habitat. The survey data will also be used to determine which landscape parameters explain significant variation density to further improve the accuracy of the DST.
Incorporating future change into current conservation planning: evaluating wetland migration along the Gulf of Mexico under alternative sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios. N. M. Enwright, K. T. Griffin, and M. J. Osland, USGS; GCPO LCC (2016)
This study quantified the potential for TSW landward migration along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast under alternative future sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios. Our analyses focused into a single grouping, “tidal saline wetland.” A public dataset was created that identifies locations where TSW landward migration is expected to occur under alternative future SLR and urbanization scenarios. These data also identify locations where TSW landward migration could be prevented by barriers associated with current urbanization, future urbanization, and levees.
Use of LIDAR to Assess the Effectiveness of Grass Plantings and Buffers on Playa Natural Inundation and Sedimentation Control in the Rainwater Basin. Zhenghong Tang, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; GP LCC (2015)
The main objective of this project was to build LiDAR-derived 3-D geospatial models to statistically assess the effectiveness of grass plantings and buffers on playa natural inundation and sedimentation control at watershed scales in the Rainwater Basin, South Central Nebraska. An in-depth analysis of the LiDAR data and discover the essential relations of wetland functions and runoff/sedimentation control practices, in hopes of advancing knowledge by linking LiDAR technology and playa wetland function, and showing how to adapt wetland conservation designs in the Great Plains was conducted. A set of statistical models to correlate grass plantings/buffers with inundation and sedimentation ratios at watershed scales was created.
FOREST RESTORATION
A Decision Support Tool to Target Priority Fish and Wildlife Populations in the Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi portions of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Amy Keister, USFWS; GCPO LCC (2010)
This project integrates a reforestation decision support model for priority forest breeding birds and a restoration decision support tool for the federally-threatened Louisiana Black Bear. It was developed specifically to focus habitat restoration projects on frequently flooded agricultural lands within priority portions of the delta of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, which were funded primarily by the Walton Family Foundation in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
DRAINAGE WATER MANAGEMENT
Assessment of Pattern Tile Drainage on Wetland Hydrology and Ecosystem Services in Prairie Pothole Region. Robert A Gleason, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center; PPP LCC (2013)
Development of a spatial database to assess the impacts of pattern tile drainage and create preliminary projections on ecosystem services. This will identify a study site to model the impacts of PTD and mold decision support tools.
Artificial Subsurface drainage in wetland catchments - overview of long-term study site and data-collection methods. Principal Investigator: Charles Dahl, USGS; PPP LCC (in progress)
A cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was initiated with the goals of quantifying potential impacts & evaluate the efficacy of protective set-backs on drainage systems. In 2012, four wetland catchments were equipped to record parameters to be used to calculate a water budget. These include: soil moisture, soil temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, groundwater, and wetland surface water levels. In 2013, two of the wetlands were encircled with perforated drain pipe at the NRCS calculated set-back distance and equipped to monitor discharge at the pipe outlets. The four catchments will continue to be instrumented and monitored for the foreseeable future.
STREAM/FLOODPLAIN RESTORATION
Hydrogeomorphic assessment for conservation planning on the Lower Missouri River. Mickey Heitmeyer; PPP LCC, ETPBR LCC, FWS (2016)
The hydrogeomorphic methodology was applied along 670 miles of the Missouri River from Decatur, Nebraska to St. Louis, Missouri. In FY15, additional resources extended the HGM up river to Gavin's Point Dam, West Yankton, South Dakota (approximate river mile 811), the location of the most downstream mainstem dam; thus encompassing the entire free flowing reach of the Missouri River and increasing the study area by approximately 800,000 acres. Using this method, engineers and ecologists will incorporate state-of-the-art scientific knowledge of ecological processes and key fish and wildlife species to identify options by which to emulate natural hydrologic and vegetation/ animal community dynamics.
Managing Instream Flows and Developing Hydrologic Information for the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative. Mary Davis, Southern Instream Flow Network; GCP LCC (2014)
The project involved the work of many partners to gather baseline information on the ways the hydrology of rivers and streams throughout the area of the Gulf Coast Prairie LCC have been altered and the broader ecological effects of those changes. It also prioritized future research to fill important information gaps and identified hydrology-related environmental challenges on which to focus and invest in the future. It will be integrated with similar efforts in surrounding regions for even broader benefit.
Hydrological modeling for flow-ecology science in the southeastern U.S. Jonathan Kennen; SE CSC, APP LCC (in progress)
The objectives this project is to 1) inventory existing hydrologic modeling efforts in the Southeast region; 2) evaluate and compare performance of participating hydrologic models in predicting observed stream flows; 3) demonstrate the feasibility of using regional and local scale models to identify unique areas of concern and understand fine scale hydrologic dynamics, respectively; and 4) synthesize the work on developing flow-ecology relationships in the region.
Mapping and Predicting Groundwater-Mediated Hydrologic Connectivity for Great Plains Prairie Rivers and Streams. Keith Gido, Kansas State University; GP LCC (2015)
Natural aquifers that are depleting due to agricultural irrigation are causing a decline of many Great Plains fish species. The creation of groundwater-surface water models focusing on flowing and intermittent stream reaches will prioritize areas for conservation as well as predict the future vulnerabilities from the changes in the water table to help make landscape scale strategies and management decisions.
Landscape Scale Assessment of Floodplain Inundation Frequency in the GCPO. Yvonne Allen, GCPO LCC (2014)
This project represents the first attempt to map floodplain inundation frequency at the landscape scale in the south central United States. Using 15-40 images per Landsat scene, we established a wide range of possible flood frequencies across a variety of rising and falling river stages. This method represents a flexible approach that can be configured to define habitat availability for a variety of terrestrial and aquatic species.
Assessment of Water Availability and Stream Flow Characteristics in the Gulf Coast Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative for Current and Future Climate and Landscape Conditions. Jacob LaFontaine, USGS GA Water Science Center; GCPO LCC (in progress)
This research will (1) develop a multi-model application to simulate streamflow using a monthly water balance model and daily time step hydrologic models (physical-process based and statistical) for all watersheds of the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative and (2) provide products from these models (flow characteristics - magnitude, timing, duration, rate of change, and frequency) for a range of configurations (current and future climate and landscape) through a web interface which can be used to inform management decisions.
Quantifying Ecosystem Processes in Support of River Restoration and Nutrient Reduction: Effects of Increased River-Floodplain Connectivity in the Maquoketa River. William Richardson, USGS; ETPBR LCC (in progress)
Effectiveness of floodplains in providing ecosystem services is dependent on the extent and location of connection between floodplain and river. Recent research has shown that management of river connectivity of channels to floodplains is an effective mitigation strategy to remove nutrients, sediment, and carbon from river flows. This site appears to be an ideal test-bed for scaling-up of ecosystem service benefits associated with increased floodplain connectivity to other deltaic sites in the Upper Mississippi River.
Land Use Model Integrating Agriculture and the Environment (LUMINATE): Linkages between Agricultural Land Use, Local Water Quality and Hypoxic Concerns in the Gulf of Mexico Basin. Catherine L. Kling, et al., Iowa State Univ (2014)
In this paper, we discuss the importance of developing integrated assessment models to support the design and implementation of policies to address water quality problems associated with agricultural pollution. We describe a new modeling system, LUMINATE, which links land use decisions made at the field scale in the Upper Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee basins through both environmental and hydrologic components to downstream water quality effects and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. This modeling system can be used to analyze detailed policy scenarios identifying the costs of the policies and their resulting benefits for improved local and regional water quality. We demonstrate the model’s capabilities with a simple scenario where cover crops are incentivized with green payments over a large expanse of the watershed.
Restoring floodplains in Indiana helps clean up the Gulf of Mexico. Jennifer Tank, Notre Dame (2014)