Vegetation Types in Coastal Louisiana in 2021: Point Data

Dates

Publication Date: 2022-04-11
Start Date: 2021-05-24
End Date: 2021-08-05

Citation

Nyman, J.A., Reid, C.S., Sasser, C.E., Linscombe, J., Hartley, S.B., Couvillion, B.R., and Villani, R.K., 2022, Vegetation Types in Coastal Louisiana in 2021 (ver. 2.0, April 2023): US Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9URYLMS.

Summary

Coastwide vegetation surveys have been conducted multiple times over the past 50 years (e.g., Chabreck and Linscombe 1968, 1978, 1988, 1997, 2001, and 2013) by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in support of coastal management activities. The last survey was conducted in 2013 and was funded by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a part of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) monitoring program. These surveys provide important data that have been utilized by federal, state, and local resource managers. The surveys provide information on the condition of Louisiana’s coastal marshes by mapping plant species [...]

Summary

Coastwide vegetation surveys have been conducted multiple times over the past 50 years (e.g., Chabreck and Linscombe 1968, 1978, 1988, 1997, 2001, and 2013) by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in support of coastal management activities. The last survey was conducted in 2013 and was funded by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a part of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) monitoring program. These surveys provide important data that have been utilized by federal, state, and local resource managers. The surveys provide information on the condition of Louisiana’s coastal marshes by mapping plant species composition and vegetation change through time. During the summer of 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries jointly completed a helicopter survey to collect data on 2021 vegetation types using the same field methodology at previously sampled data points. Plant species were identified and their abundance classified at each point. Based on species composition and abundance, each marsh sampling station was assigned a marsh type: fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline marsh. The field point data were interpolated to classify marsh vegetation into polygons and map the distribution of vegetation types.

We then used the 2021 polygons with additional remote sensing data to create the final raster dataset. We used the polygon marsh type zones (available in this data release), as well as National Land Cover Database (NLCD; https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/national-land-cover-database) and NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (CCAP; https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/ccapregional.html) datasets to create a composite raster dataset. The composite raster was created to provide more detail, particularly with regard to “Other”, “Swamp”, and “Water” categories, than is available in the polygon dataset. The overall boundary of the raster product was extended beyond past surveys to better inform swamp, water, and other boundaries across the coast. A majority of NLCD and CCAP classification during a 2010-2019 period was used, rather than creating a raster classification specific to 2021, as there was a desire to use published datasets. Users are cautioned that the raster dataset is generalized but more specific than the polygon dataset.

This data release includes 3 datasets: the point field data collected by the helicopter survey team, the polygon data developed from the point data, and the raster data developed from the polygon data plus additional remote sensing data as described above.

Contacts

Point of Contact :: Rachel K Villani
Originator :: J A Nyman, Christopher S Reid, Charles E Sasser, Jeb Linscombe, Stephen B Hartley, Brady R Couvillion, Rachel K Villani
Metadata Contact :: Rachel K Villani
Publisher :: U.S. Geological Survey
Distributor :: U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase

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LACoastalVeg_2021_points.xml Original FGDC Metadata	View	46.24 KB	application/fgdc+xml

Shapefile: HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.zip
HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.cpg		5 Bytes
HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.dbf		43.24 MB
HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.prj		167 Bytes
HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.sbn		66.61 KB
HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.sbx		2.88 KB
HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.shp		196.89 KB
HeliOutput_02_15_2022_v9a_gpsfix_pts.shx		56.32 KB

Purpose

Coastwide vegetation surveys at periodic intervals provide information on the condition of Louisiana's coastal marshes by mapping plant species composition and vegetation change through time.

Vegetation Types in Coastal Louisiana in 2021: Point Data

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