Nonindigenous aquatic species and potential spread after Hurricane Maria
Dates
Publication Date
2017-11-07
Start Date
1849-12-31
End Date
2017-09-27
Citation
Daniel, W.M., Neilson, M.E., and Fuller, P., 2017, Nonindigenous aquatic species and potential spread after Hurricane Maria: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F79022RV.
Summary
This map was created to help assess impacts on nonindigenous aquatic species distributions due to flooding associated with Hurricane Maria. Storm surge and flood events can assist expansion and distribution of nonindigenous aquatic species through the connection of adjacent watersheds, backflow of water upstream of impoundments, increased downstream flow, and creation of freshwater bridges along coastal regions. This map will help natural resource managers determine potential new locations for individual species, or to develop a watch list of potential new species within a watershed. These data include a subset of data from the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, that fall within the general area of the 2017 Hurricane Maria flooding.
Summary
This map was created to help assess impacts on nonindigenous aquatic species distributions due to flooding associated with Hurricane Maria. Storm surge and flood events can assist expansion and distribution of nonindigenous aquatic species through the connection of adjacent watersheds, backflow of water upstream of impoundments, increased downstream flow, and creation of freshwater bridges along coastal regions. This map will help natural resource managers determine potential new locations for individual species, or to develop a watch list of potential new species within a watershed. These data include a subset of data from the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, that fall within the general area of the 2017 Hurricane Maria flooding.
This data is intended to help managers in Puerto Rico know what new species to monitor for in each drainage. It also gives them the ability to target a particular species and know where to look. These depictions are very generalized and animals and plants may not have had the opportunity to move into all of these new areas. Managers should combine this with known levels of flooding to make the best determinations of risk.
