GIS for Environmental Science

1. GIS for Environmental Science ENSC 3603 Class 12 2/19/09

2. Environmental Science • EnvironmentAll external factors, living and non-living (chemical and energy), that affect you or any other organism. • Environmental ScienceThe study of how life forms interact with each other and with the non-living environment of matter and energy.

3. Environmental Applications of GIS GIS are now used extensively in government, academic, non-profit and business for a wide range of environmental resource analysis and landuse planning applications. Topics covered today are underlined. Natural resources management Fisheries management Wetlands Endangered species Soils Fisheries management Wildlife habitat modeling Pesticides Recreation resource management Hazardous Waste Floodplain management and flood control Waste management Aquifer and groundwater management Climate Change Forest management Acid Rain Coastal management Ozone Depletion Biodiversity

4. Natural resources management • Natural resources management is the practical application of ecosystem management, habitat conservation, and sustainable land management towards protecting, conserving, and using natural resources. • Living organisms (flora and fauna) and non-living or abiotic material (water, air, soil, and minerals) are "Natural" resources.

5. Wetlands and GIS • Wetlands are characterized by having hydric soils, are seasonally or permanently covered by shallow water, and support hydrophytic plants. • hydric soils -Hydric soils of wetlands are formed during periods of saturation inundation or flooding during the growing season that causes the development of anaerobic conditions. Depletion of oxygen is caused by the saturation of the soils combined with anaerobic microbiological activities. This promotes the accumulation of organic matter, iron, and other reducible elements by the biogeochemical process of anaerobiosis.

6. Wetlands and GIS • hydrophytic plants - grow in wetlands that have a high water content. The specialized plants have structural modifications to increase buoyancy and support, and to store and transport oxygen to the root system. Metabolism is by anaerobic glycolysis where oxygen is not required to convert nutrients to energy. Structural modifications may consist of modified roots that are used as respiratory organs, hypertrophied lenticels which are used to increase oxygen uptake through the stem, or air cells in the roots for oxygen storage and transport. Seeds are specialized for prolonged viability, and germinate when subjected to low oxygen concentrations. The seedlings are flood tolerant.

7. Wetlands and GIS • According to the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Environmental Protection Agency, wetlands are defined as: Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. (Taken from "Recognizing Wetlands: An Informational Pamphlet")

8. Wetlands and GIS • A simple definition - wetland is an area of land that is saturated or covered with water at some point during the growing season so that certain soil characteristics and plant species are present.

9. Wetlands and GIS • Southern Wetland FloraAlphabetical List of Species • http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1999/soutflor/species.htm

10. Wetlands and GIS • Wetlands Classification Hierarchy -Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States." US Fish and Wildlife Service • Marine     The Marine system consists of wetlands along the coastline. • Estuarine     Wetlands in the Estuarine system include those associated with both estuaries and lagoons • Riverine     The Riverine system classification consists of wetlands and deepwater habitats contained within a channel. • Lacustrine     Lacustrine system wetlands are usually located in a topographic depression or a dammed river valley. • Palustrine     Wetlands in the Palustrine system are dominated by trees, shrubs, emergents, mosses, or lichens.

11. Wetlands and GIS • Benefits of Wetlands • Ecological -Wetlands are the natural habitats of thousands of species of fish and wildlife, including approximately one-third of the nation’s endangered or threatened species. • act as water flow regulators, diminish flood effects by slowing water flow, act as buffering systems, moderating the results of severe weather and climate conditions, water quality

12. Wetlands and GIS • Economical - In addition to the vital part wetlands play in their natural ecosystems, these areas also provide important economic benefits. • commercial fisheries use coastal wetlands as growth habitats • recreational activities including sport fishing, hunting, bird watching, and photography

13. Wetlands and GIS • Reasons for Protection • Since the 1700’s, over half of the nation’s wetlands have been lost or destroyed, reducing the total area from 221 million acres to only 104 million in 1985 (EPA)

14. Wetlands and GIS Arkansas Wetlands Today Arkansas Wetlands circa 1870

17. Wetlands and GIS • Arkansas Multi-Agency Wetland Planning Team - http://www.mawpt.org/ • Wetlands in Arkansas • Classification & Characterization of the Wetlands of Arkansas • INTRODUCTION TO THE WETLANDS OF ARKANSAS

18. Soils and GIS • Soil - (i) The unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants. (ii) The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of: climate (including water and temperature effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. A product-soil differs from the material from which it is derived in many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics. - from the Soil Science Glossary (Soil Science Society of America).

19. Soils and GIS • Take a look at the eleven slides of sellsoil.ppt at “Helping people under stand soils – Ten Key Messages” http://soils.usda.gov/education/key_messages/ • Soils data on Geostor

20. Soils and GIS • Soil Formation and Classificationhttp://soils.usda.gov/education/facts/formation.html • Soil Forming Factors • Parent material, Material in which soils form. • Climate, Temperature and moisture amounts cause different patterns of weathering and leaching. • Topography, Slope and aspect affect the temperature and moisture of soil. • Biological factors, Plants, animal, micro-organisms, and humans affect soil formation. • Time, Over time, soils show features that reflect the other forming factors.

21. Soils and GIS • SOIL TAXONOMY (TWELVE SOIL ORDERS) • Entisols: Recent, little development, properties reflect parent material. • Inceptisols: Inception, embryonic, just starting horizon development. • Alfisols: clay and nutrient-enriched subsoil. • Ultisols: clay enriched subsoil low in nutrients. • Oxisols: reddish or yellowish soils with no distinct horizons. • Spodosols: light gray horizon over a Fe-Al-humus enriched horizon. • Mollisols: surface horizon high in humus, found in grasslands. • Histosols: organic soils, usually developed in wet areas. • Vertisols: clayey soils that swell and shrink, develop cracks. • Aridisols: desert soils, contain deposits of salts or carbonates. • Andisols: volcanic parent material. • Gelisols: underlain by permafrost, found in tundra regions.

22. Soils and GIS • State Soil Geographic (STATSGO)Database • Soil maps for the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) database are produced by generalizing the detailed soil survey data. The mapping scale for STATSGO is 1:250,000 (with the exception of Alaska, which is 1:1,000,000). The level of mapping is designed to be used for broad planning and management uses covering state, regional, and multi-state areas. • http://www.soils.usda.gov/survey/geography/statsgo/

23. Soils and GIS • Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database • Field mapping methods using national standards are used to construct the soil maps in the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database. Mapping scales generally range from 1:12,000 to 1:63,360; SSURGO is the most detailed level of soil mapping done by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). SSURGO digitizing duplicates the original soil survey maps. This level of mapping is designed for use by landowners, townships, and county natural resource planning and management. The user should be knowledgeable of soils data and their characteristics. • http://www.soils.usda.gov/survey/geography/ssurgo/

24. Soils and GIS • Soil data • State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) Database

25. Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database

27. Wildlife habitat modeling • Gap Analysis • http://www.cast.uark.edu/gap/ • Florida Land owner incentive program • http://www.imok.ufl.edu/invasive/field_day_pres_lip.pdf

28. Read and Do • Arkansas Multi-Agency Wetland Planning Team - http://www.mawpt.org/ • Follow the instructions for the teacher’s tour. • Look at the Wet land Walkabout. • Study the Wildlife habitat modeling sites we looked at today.

29. When I look back on all the worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened." - Winston Churchill "The worst thing you can do for those you love is the things they could and should do themselves." - Abraham Lincoln