Satellite-based barrier island habitat maps, Whiskey Island, Louisiana, 2012–2020 (ver. 2.0, December 2022)
Dates
Publication Date
2022-09-27
Start Date
2012-11-07
End Date
2020-07-14
Revision
2022-12-02
Citation
Enwright, N.M., Cheney, W.C., Thurman, H.R., Dugas, J.L., and Lee, D.M., 2022, Satellite-based barrier island habitat maps, Whiskey Island, Louisiana, 2012–2020 (ver. 2.0, December 2022): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9O40AR7.
Summary
This product is a satellite-based habitat map time series from 2012 to 2020 for the Whiskey Island reach of the Louisiana Gulf shoreline to facilitate monitoring of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Caillou Lake Headlands project area (TE-0100), also known as Whiskey Island. The project created 170 acres of marsh habitat and 917 acres of dune and beach habitat on Whiskey Island in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, using material dredged from Ship Shoal. For more information on this restoration project, see the project page on Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) Coastal Information Management System (https://cims.coastal.la.gov/outreach/projects/ProjectView?projID=TE-0100). The time period for these [...]
Summary
This product is a satellite-based habitat map time series from 2012 to 2020 for the Whiskey Island reach of the Louisiana Gulf shoreline to facilitate monitoring of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Caillou Lake Headlands project area (TE-0100), also known as Whiskey Island. The project created 170 acres of marsh habitat and 917 acres of dune and beach habitat on Whiskey Island in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, using material dredged from Ship Shoal. For more information on this restoration project, see the project page on Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) Coastal Information Management System (https://cims.coastal.la.gov/outreach/projects/ProjectView?projID=TE-0100). The time period for these maps spans before, during, and after the restoration project. Maps were produced using a random forest model that classified cover types (that is, bare, herbaceous vegetation, woody vegetation, and water) based on spectral indices from Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 imagery. These products complement habitat maps that were developed from orthoimagery and elevation data using a detailed 15-class habitat scheme developed by the CPRA’s Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) Program. The BICM Program uses both historical data and contemporary data collections to assess and monitor changes to barrier islands. Habitat map products are one type of BICM dataset. For more information about the BICM Program, see Kindinger and others (2013); for more information about recent BICM habitat mapping, see Enwright and others (2020). These habitat maps were utilized with ecological data in an analysis of avian habitat occupancy and use/function for several focal species pre- and post-restoration activity. The results of this analysis will help land managers evaluate how restoration and subsequent natural ecological processes impact bird species of conservation concern, and target restoration activities that enhance island sustainability and preserve avian habitat availability.
Click on title to download individual files attached to this item.
multitemporal_habitat_maps_Whiskey_Island.xml Original FGDC Metadata
View
16.9 KB
application/fgdc+xml
readME.txt
2.74 KB
text/plain
version_history.txt
1.3 KB
text/plain
multitemporal_habitat_maps_Whiskey_Island.zip
1.28 MB
application/zip
Purpose
Barrier islands provide numerous invaluable ecosystem services including storm protection and erosion control for the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, salinity regulation in estuaries, carbon sequestration in marshes, recreation, and tourism (Barbier and others, 2011). Since the resources they provide are integral to economic and environmental interests, it is imperative that they are managed in a way that ensures resiliency and the continued provision of ecosystem goods and services over time. These islands are very dynamic environments due to their position at the land-sea interface. Storms, wave energy, tides, currents, and relative sea-level rise are powerful forces that shape barrier island geomorphology and habitats. The habitat products developed through this effort were used in an analysis of avian habitat availability and patterns of distribution, abundance, and behavior before and after restoration activity, which can help land managers target restoration activities that produce the best outcome for multiple stakeholders, including preserving habitat needed by species of conservation concern. Additionally, the maps will provide a powerful tool for tracking changes to barrier island habitats over time. Please consult the accompanying readME.txt file for information on the contents of this dataset and how to determine date of map using the standardized file name.
