SECAS Third Thursday Web Forum May 16th 10:00 am ET
Understanding coastal wetland change from the perspective of refuge managers, long-term monitoring, and remote sensing
Michelle Moorman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Zafer Defne, U.S. Geological Survey
Join us on Thursday for a webinar from Michelle Moorman, biologist with the Southeast Inventory and Monitoring Branch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Zafer Defne, oceanographer with the U.S. Geological Survey at Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. Their presentation will focus on a collaborative effort aimed at better understanding and managing wetland ecosystems on National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) lands.
During the 20th century, the Refuge System protected over 1.2 million acres of coastal wetlands that provide habitat for important species. Effective management and restoration of marshes and other vegetated intertidal habitats require objective and consistent metrics of geomorphic status and vulnerability. The recently developed unvegetated-vegetated marsh ratio (UVVR) is essential for establishing present-day vegetative cover, identifying stability thresholds, and quantifying vulnerability to open-water conversion over complete spatial scales. Additionally, Surface Elevation Table (SET) measurements monitor changes in the elevation of the land surface over time. These metrics facilitate identifying marsh stability which can help prioritize adaptation actions including restoration projects and areas for acquisition. Additionally, these metrics can provide an objective assessment of restoration success or vegetative loss.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are collaborating to assess the status of coastal wetlands on Refuges to:
- Inventory the status of coastal wetlands on NWRs using UVVR-based metrics,
- Couple these metrics with available SET data in an online mapping tool, and
- Develop a tool to assess changes in vegetative wetland cover across restoration projects and compare results with non-restored areas.
As always, we record these web forums. The recording and slides will be available afterward on the calendar event.
