Landsat classification of surface water for multiple seasons to monitor inundation of playa wetlands
Dates
Publication Date
2018-02-20
Start Date
1989-05-04
End Date
2008-06-24
Citation
Rover, J.R., and Manier, D.J., 2018, Landsat classification of surface water for multiple seasons to monitor inundation of playa wetlands: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7MW2GCN.
Summary
To improve understanding of the distribution of important, ephemeral wetland habitats across the Great Plains, we documented the occurrence and distribution of surface water in playa wetland complexes for four different years across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) region. Years of research on playas has yielded multiple mechanisms and projections for sub-regions of the LCC area, but a complete, region-wide inventory and assessment has not been completed. This information is important because it informs habitat and population managers about the timing and location of habitat availability. Data representing the presence of water, percent of the area inundated with water, and the spatial distribution of playa [...]
Summary
To improve understanding of the distribution of important, ephemeral wetland habitats across the Great Plains, we documented the occurrence and distribution of surface water in playa wetland complexes for four different years across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) region. Years of research on playas has yielded multiple mechanisms and projections for sub-regions of the LCC area, but a complete, region-wide inventory and assessment has not been completed. This information is important because it informs habitat and population managers about the timing and location of habitat availability. Data representing the presence of water, percent of the area inundated with water, and the spatial distribution of playa wetlands with water, with an accurate time-stamp, are needed for a host of resource inventory, monitoring and research applications. For example, the distribution of inundated wetlands, represents the distribution of available habitat for resident shorebirds and water birds, stop-over habitats for migratory birds, connectivity and clustering of wetland habitats, and surface water recharge to the Ogallala aquifer; there is considerable variability in the distribution of playa wetlands holding water through time. Clear documentation of these spatially and temporally intricate processes will provide data required to assess connections between multiple environmental drivers, such as climate, land use, soil, and topography and the probability of inundation. Data presented here document the area covered by water according to archived Landsat TM data. Classifications representing 4 years of imagery (1989, 1996, 2004 and 2011) are provided.
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GPLCC_PlayaWetlands_Classification.xml Original FGDC Metadata
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GPLCC_WetLand_Playa_Classification.gdb.zip
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Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Manier, D.J., and Rover, J.R., 2018, Landsat classification of surface-water presence during multiple years to assess response of playa wetlands to climatic variability across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative region: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017–1166, 20 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171166.
Climate drivers are understood to interact with land cover, land use and soil attributes in determining the amount of water that flows overland, into playa wetlands. By developing data that track the occurrence of surface waters within and across years, we can include spatial-temporal gradients of precipitation, temperature, soils and land use as covariates in multivariate models. Thus, this information should directly inform regional assessments of habitat availability for wildlife (for example, migratory waterfowl) and associated conservation of playa wetland habitats by providing spatial and temporal perspectives on seasonal inundation of these ephemeral wetlands. We demonstrate the feasibility of using LANDSAT imagery classification to determine playa wetland inundation across years and seasons. Evaluating classifications representing 4 years of imagery, we found significant year to year and state-level differences in inundation rates.
