Entwistle Clare, Mora Miguel A, Knight Robert
Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2018 Jan;14(1):120-129. doi: 10.1002/ieam.1973. Epub 2017 Dec 13.
Coastal wetlands serve many important ecological services. One of these important ecological services is their use as storm buffers. Coastal wetlands provide habitat for migratory birds and aquatic species and can improve water quality. In the late 1990s, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a study outlining the trends of coastal wetlands from the 1950s to early 1990s. In the present study, wetland gains and losses were calculated for Galveston County and Cameron County, Texas, USA, between 2001 and 2011. Maps from the National Land Cover Database were used to determine wetland areas for the years 2001, 2006, and 2011. ArcGIS was used to compare land cover between the study periods to determine overall wetland losses and gains. A statistical analysis was performed between wetland loss and population data to determine whether increased population density led to a higher loss of wetlands. Our analysis indicates that wetland loss is still occurring, however at a lower rate of loss (0.14%-0.18% annually) than the USFWS study predicted earlier (2.7%). In addition, the majority of wetland losses were due to conversion to upland areas. We found a positive correlation between increased population density and decreased wetland area; however, the trend was not significant. The present study shows how the majority of wetland loss in Galveston and Cameron counties is occurring as a result of increased upland areas. In addition, the present study shows that the use of online mapping systems can be used as a low-cost alternative to assess land changes when field tests are not feasible. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:120-129. © 2017 SETAC.
沿海湿地提供许多重要的生态服务。其中一项重要的生态服务是它们作为风暴缓冲区的作用。沿海湿地为候鸟和水生物种提供栖息地，并能改善水质。20世纪90年代末，美国鱼类和野生动物管理局（USFWS）发表了一项研究，概述了20世纪50年代至90年代初沿海湿地的趋势。在本研究中，计算了2001年至2011年美国得克萨斯州加尔维斯顿县和卡梅伦县湿地的增减情况。利用国家土地覆盖数据库的地图确定2001年、2006年和2011年的湿地面积。使用ArcGIS比较研究期间的土地覆盖情况，以确定湿地的总体损失和增加情况。对湿地损失和人口数据进行了统计分析，以确定人口密度增加是否导致湿地损失增加。我们的分析表明，湿地仍在流失，但其流失率（每年0.14%-0.18%）低于USFWS早期研究预测的（2.7%）。此外，大部分湿地流失是由于转变为高地地区。我们发现人口密度增加与湿地面积减少之间存在正相关；然而，这种趋势并不显著。本研究表明，加尔维斯顿县和卡梅伦县的大部分湿地流失是高地面积增加的结果。此外，本研究表明，当实地测试不可行时，使用在线地图系统可以作为评估土地变化的低成本替代方法。《综合环境评估与管理》2018年；14:120-129。©2017 SETAC。
