Assessment of Surface and Ground Water Hydrology and Vegetation at the Emily and Grant uri icon

abstract

  • The Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve is a low-lying, peatland-dominated area that lies at the southern end of the Gum Neck Peninsula in eastern North Carolina. It is surrounded on three sides by drowned tributaries of the Alligator River estuarine system. In recent years, certain pockets of Atlantic White Cedar in the reserve have displayed signs of stress. Despite efforts to determine the cause of the habitat degradation, it is still not entirely clear what is causing the observed stresses. It has been hypothesized that stresses on vegetation may be due to the presence of artificial features (i.e., roads, canals and ditches) related to over 100 years of logging that have altered the surface and ground water hydrology in the reserve. The Department of Coastal Management of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources intends to install water control structures in strategic locations to mitigate the influence of salt water migration. The potential effect of these water control structures on the hydrology in the reserve is unknown. The overall goal of this project is to assess the hydrology and quality of surface and ground water, and to determine how changes in landscape and hydrology influence vegetation in the reserve. Specifically, we will assess (1) the relative impact of water control structures on ground and surface water, (2) the effects of hydrologic alteration on salinity, and (3) vegetation type, condition, and change via remote sensing. In addition to water sampling, a monitoring program will be implemented to assess the long term effects of water control structures on the hydrology of the reserve. The approach will use a combination of Geographic Information System, remote sensing, hydrologic and sedimentologic methods to derive baseline ecosystem observations. This information will be used to develop a hydrologic model of the area that accounts for anthropogenic effects on hydrology, water quality, and vegetation. This study?s emphasis on hydrologic modeling requires a dedicated inventory and compilation of available hydrologic and associated geospatial data that will also seek to identify constraints such as data quality, coverage/extent, and relevant environmental factors. To effect accurate hydrologic monitoring, we also emphasize remote sensing, mapping, and spatial analysis of vegetation and hydrologic controls (relict ditches, canals, and control structures), peat depth mapping, salinity patterns in networks and overwash, and potential observable vegetation changes.

date/time interval

  • July 2010 - June 2012

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