Coastal Corridors Vulnerable Under Reduced Lake Level Scenarios
Summary
These data represent coastal corridors exposed by lake levels reduced from mean 2009 water surface elevations. These elevations were established by values published by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and based on a network of multiple gages within each lake. The corridors were derived from two data sources: 5-m resolution lidar-based topo-bathymetry produced by the USACE Joint Airborne Lidar-Based Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center, and bathymetric contour lines produced by the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). The JALBTCX lidar-based topo-bathymetry were used to produce representations of 0.5-meter [...]
Summary
These data represent coastal corridors exposed by lake levels reduced from mean 2009 water surface elevations. These elevations were established by values published by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and based on a network of multiple gages within each lake. The corridors were derived from two data sources: 5-m resolution lidar-based topo-bathymetry produced by the USACE Joint Airborne Lidar-Based Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center, and bathymetric contour lines produced by the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). The JALBTCX lidar-based topo-bathymetry were used to produce representations of 0.5-meter and 1.0-meter reductions in lake level with respect to the mean 2009 level, while the negative 1-meter GLERL bathymetric contour was used in conjunction with a GLERL shore line to provide a general approximation of the extent exposed by a 1-meter lake level reduction where lidar-based topo-bathymetry were unavailable.
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Purpose
These data are complimentary to a Phragmites mapping program being conducted within the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes coastal zone. The corridors illustrate areas exposed by reduced lake levels and thus vulnerable to encroachment by an invasive haplotype of Phragmites australis (common reed). Maps of invasive Phragmites stands larger than 0.2 hectare (0.5 acre) were created for the U.S. side of the Great Lakes coastal zone using unsupervised and supervised classification algorithms applied to ALOS PALSAR satellite-based radar imagery and field work to train and validate these algorithms. These maps allowed the calculation of proximity to invasive Phragmites within coastal corridors in an attempt to depict relative vulnerability to Phragmites invasion. The corridors are intended to be used as planning tools by landowners, managers, and members of the general public with interests in the distribution and spread of invasive Phragmites australis within Great Lakes coastal wetlands. The reduced lake level corridors described here can be used in conjunction with an accompanying inland corridor network of streams, wetlands, and water bodies that is also weighted by proximity to Phragmites in order to depict likely invasion pathways under reduced lake level scenarios.
