Coastal Louisiana has experienced severe wetland loss over the past 30 years. The Coastal Wetlands planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) was created to address the wetland loss problem in Louisiana. The Coastal Restoration Division (CRD) of Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the National Biological Service's (NBS) Southern Science Center (SSC) are responsible for the monitoring of approximately 50 projects in Louisiana to be implemented through CWPPRA. Innovative restoration techniques involving fresh water diversion, sediment diversion, marsh management, shoreline stabilization, and vegetative restoration are already in place and require constant monitoring in order to evaluate overall effectiveness. The CRD, through the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is installing and maintaining data collection platforms (DCPs) for various physical and biological parameters along the coast. Site specific DCP measurements include such things as water level, water velocity, salinity, precipitation, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. These data are transmitted to a centralized database via the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) network. The SSC is conducting geographic information system (GIS) analysis and image processing support for monitoring of habitat conditions utilizing scanned and rectified aerial photography with digital landcover maps photo-interpreted from high resolution color-infrared aerial photography. DCP data platform locations and ground control points for habitat data are georeferenced using GPS. These data are stored in a central database, which links the temporal biological and digital spatial data. The use of the GIS provides the capability to query and display information for monitoring project effectiveness. In this manner, long-term records are maintained in conjunction with their spatial connectivity relationships. GIS analysis of this information is critical for the efficient planning and evaluation of the long-term coastal monitoring program.
Deborah Fuller
Spatial Analysis Branch
National Biological Service/Southern Science Center
700 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
Telephone: 318-266-8556
Fax: 318-266-8513
John Barras
Spatial Analysis Branch
National Biological Service/Southern Science Center
700 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
Lawrence R. Handley
Spatial Analysis Branch
National Biological Service/Southern Science Center
700 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
Gregory D. Steyer
Steve Hartley
Wei Ji