Source: https://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/status-and-trends-program/science/wetlands
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 12:50:01+00:00

Document:
Wetlands provide goods and services that have been valued at up to $78,500 per acre per year (R. Costanza and others, Global Environmental Change 2014). In addition to providing fish and wildlife habitat, coastal ecosystems protect coastlines from storms, store carbon in sediments, improve water quality, and maintain productive coastal fisheries. In the 21st century, drivers such as sea level rise, extreme weather events, changes in the flow rate of rivers, and human development of coastal habitats will affect coastal landscapes and ecosystems across the region.
More information about Status and Trends program wetlands research is available from the "Related Science" tab on the top navigation or from the links below.
Assessing Wetland Quality in the Great Lakes and Other Regions in the U.S.
USGS scientists are assessing the condition of wetlands on a regional scale (e.g., Huron-Erie corridor, Ohio, Great Lakes basin, multiple state regions), particularly with respect to invasive species, vegetation integrity, and soil chemistry; identifying region-scale factors associated with wetland vegetation integrity and wetlands quality; and integrating with the National Wetland condition and Analysis (NWCA) survey to develop new tools for assessing wetland quality.
Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands (TFFW) are susceptible to sea-level rise and are constantly transitioning to different wetland community types over time scales of centuries to millennia. This project addresses how carbon, water, and biogeochemical processes are affected in TFFWs as they transition from a forested wetland state to an emergent, low-salinity marsh.
Wetlands vary in their abilities to keep up with sea-level rise; they either adjust vertically and/or move inland. USGS is working with partners around the world to measure rates of surface elevation change relative to local sea-level rise.
More than half of contiguous U.S. coastal wetlands are located along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Historically, coastal wetlands have adapted to sea-level changes via lateral and vertical movement on the landscape. As sea levels rise in the future, coastal wetlands will adapt and migrate landward into undeveloped low-lying areas where migration corridors exist.
Small wetlands across the prairie pothole region provide essential breeding habitat for mid-continental waterfowl populations in addition to supporting many other wildlife species and performing services (e.g., carbon sequestration, flood-water storage, water quality improvement). The wetlands research conducted at NPWRC necessarily reflects the diversity and importance of these valued aquatic systems.
Along the U.S. Pacific Coast, both the San Francisco Bay estuary and the Pacific Northwest are critical estuarine ecosystems that support a diverse array of wildlife and are inextricably linked to human health and well-being. WERC’s Dr. Susan De La Cruz and her team study wetland enhancements and restorations, develop innovative methods to examine restoration processes, and assess restoration benefits for wildlife.
USGS studies related to wetlands that are part of the Status and Trends program are listed below.
Middleton, B.A., 2017, Climate and land-use change in wetlands: a dedication: Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, v. 3, no. 9, art. 1392831, https://doi.org/10.1080/20964129.2017.1392831.
McKenna, Owen P.; Mushet, David M.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; LaBaugh, James W.
Feher, L.C., Osland, M.J., Griffith, K.T., Grace, J.B., Howard, R.J., Stagg, C.L., Enwright, N.M., Krauss, K.W., Gabler, C.A., Day, R.H., and Rogers, K., 2017, Linear and nonlinear effects of temperature and precipitation on ecosystem properties in tidal saline wetlands: Ecosphere, v. 8, no. 10, art. e01956, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1956.
Williams, Amber S.; Kiniry, James R.; Mushet, David M.; Smith, Loren M.; McMurry, Scott T.; Attebury, Kelly; Lang, Megan; McCarty, Gregory W.; Shaffer, Jill A.; Effland, William R.; Johnson, Mari-Vaughn V.
Osland, Michael J.; Griffith, Kereen T.; Larriviere, Jack C.; Feher, Laura C.; Cahoon, Donald R.; Enwright, Nicholas M.; Oster, David A.; Tirpak, John M.; Woodrey, Mark S.; Collini, Renee C.; Baustian, Joseph J.; Breithaupt, Joshua L.; Cherry, Julia A; Conrad, Jeremy R.; Cormier, Nicole; Coronado-Molina, Carlos A.; Donoghue, Joseph F.; Graham, Sean A.; Harper, Jennifer W.; Hester, Mark W.; Howard, Rebecca J.; Krauss, Ken W.; Kroes, Daniel; Lane, Robert R.; McKee, Karen L.; Mendelssohn, Irving A.; Middleton, Beth A.; Moon, Jena A.; Piazza, Sarai; Rankin, Nicole M.; Sklar, Fred H.; Steyer, Gregory D.; Swanson, Kathleen M.; Swarzenski, Christopher M.; Vervaeke, William; Willis, Jonathan M; Van Wilson, K.
Osland, M.J., Griffith, K.T., Larriviere, J.C., Feher, L.C., Cahoon, D.R., Enwright, N.M., Oster, D.A., Tirpak, J.M., Woodrey, M.S., Collini, R.C., Baustian, J.J., Breithaupt, J.L., Cherry, J.A., Conrad, J.R., Cormier, N., Coronado-Molina, C.A., Donoghue, J.F., Graham, S.A., Harper, J.W., Hester, M.W., Howard, R.J., Krauss, K.W., Kroes, D.E., Lane, R.R., McKee, K.L., Mendelssohn, I.A., Middleton, B.A., Moon, J.A., Piazza, S.C., Rankin, N.M., Sklar, F.H., Steyer, G.D., Swanson, K.M., Swarzenski, C.M., Vervaeke, W.C., Willis, J.M., and Van Wilson, K., 2017, Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network: PLoS ONE, v. 12, no. 9, art. e0183431, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183431.
Igl, Lawrence D.; Shaffer, Jill A.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Buhl, Deborah A.
Igl, L.D., Shaffer, J.A., Johnson, D.H., and Buhl, D.A., 2017, The influence of local- and landscape-level factors on wetland breeding birds in the Prairie Pothole Region of North and South Dakota: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017–1096, 65 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171096.
Martins, Paula; Hoyt, David W.; Bansal, Sheel; Mills, Christopher T.; Tfaily, Malak; Tangen, Brian A.; Finocchiaro, Raymond; Johnston, Michael D.; McAdams, Brandon C.; Solensky, Matthew J.; Smith, Garrett J.; Chin, Yu-Ping; Wilkins, Michael J.
Dalcin Martins, P., D. W. Hoyt, S. Bansal, C. T. Mills, M. Tfaily, B. A. Tangen, R. G. Finocchiaro, M. D. Johnston, B. C. McAdams, M. J. Solensky, G. J. Smith, Y.-P. Chin, and M. J. Wilkins. 2017. Abundant carbon substrates drive extremely high sulfate reduction rates and methane fluxes in Prairie Pothole Wetlands. Global Change Biology 23:3107-3120, doi:10.1111/gcb.13633.
Couvillion, B.R., Beck, Holly, Schoolmaster, Donald, and Fischer, Michelle, 2017, Land area change in coastal Louisiana 1932 to 2016: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3381, 16 p. pamphlet, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3381.
Stagg, Camille L.; Schoolmaster, Donald; Krauss, Ken W.; Cormier, Nicole; Conner, William H.
Stagg, C.L., Schoolmaster, D.R., Krauss, K.W., Cormier, N., and Conner, W.H., 2017, Causal mechanisms of soil organic matter decomposition: deconstructing salinity and flooding impacts in coastal wetlands: Ecology, v. 98, no. 8, p. 2003–2018, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1890.
Davis, Courtney L.; Miller, David A.W.; Walls, Susan C.; Barichivich, William J.; Riley, Jeffrey W.; Brown, Mary E.
Davis, C.L., Miller, D.A., Walls, S.C., Barichivich, W.J., Riley, J.W., and Brown, M.E., 2017, Species interactions and the effects of climate variability on a wetland amphibian metacommunity: Ecological Applications, v. 27, no. 1, p. 285-296, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eap.1442.
Data, tools, and web applications related to wetlands are listed below.
The USGS Southeast Regional Office has funded a cross-center collaboration between the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center and the Texas Water Science Center for the development of the Gulf of Mexico Water Dashboard.
USGS scientists have been involved for a number of years in the development and use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This methodology represents an approach to statistical modeling that focuses on the study of complex cause-effect hypotheses about the mechanisms operating in systems.
These data were used to estimate models relating climate and land cover to wetland densities and develop projections under climate and land use change.
CWPPRA is the oldest and largest coastal restoration effort operating across coastal Louisiana and has constructed 105 restoration projects since its establishment over 20 years ago. WARC's Advanced Applications Team has proudly worked with the CWPPRA Task Force over the years to ensure timely and accurate project-specific information is publicly available.
This tool produces and provides information on the characteristics, extent, and status of the Nation's wetlands and deepwater habitats and other wildlife habitats.

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