Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Examining Playa Wetland Inundation Conditions for National Wetland Inventory, Soil Survey Geographic Database, and LiDAR Data

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Wetlands Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Inundation is a critical parameter of wetland hydrologic performance. This study uses Annual Habitat Survey data from 2004 to 2012 in the Rainwater Basin in south-central Nebraska to examine differences between the actual inundation conditions and three datasets: the National Wetland Inventory (NWI), the Soil Survey Geographic database (SSURGO), and LiDAR-derived depressions. The results show that current wetland inundated areas were well overlaid with these datasets (99.9 % in SSURGO data, 67.9 % in NWI data, and 87.3 % in LiDAR-derived depressions). However, the hydrologic degradation of playa wetlands was not reflected in these datasets. In SSURGO data, only 13.3 % of hydric soil footprint areas were inundated and 26.6 % of footprint areas were covered with hydric vegetation during this period. For playa wetlands identified in NWI data, only 30.7 % were inundated during this period and 60.5 % were covered by hydric vegetation. A significant portion of the playa wetlands were not functioning with either ponding water or supporting hydric vegetation during the peak of the waterfowl spring migration season in the Rainwater Basin. The findings confirm that watershed-level hydrologic restoration and within wetland restoration is crucial to recover the inundation conditions of playa wetlands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bartuszevige AM, Pavlacky DC Jr, Burris L, Herbener K (2012) Inundation of playa wetlands in the western Great Plains relative to landcover context. Wetlands 32(6):1103–1113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop AA, Vrtiska M (2008) Effects of the wetland reserve program on waterfowl carrying capacity in the Rainwater Basin Region of South-Central Nebraska. A conservation effects assessment project wildlife component assessment

  • Bishop AA, Walters R, Drahota J (2004) Rainwater Basin wetland complex vegetation mapping and monitoring project. Executive summary, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Grand Island, Nebraska, USA

  • Cariveau AB, Pavlacky DC Jr, Bishop AA, LaGrange TG (2011) Effects of surrounding land use on playa inundation following intense rainfall. Wetlands 31:65–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dadson SJ, Ashpole I, Harris P, Davies HN, Clark DB, Blyth E, Taylor CM (2010) Wetland inundation dynamics in a model of land surface climate: evaluation in the Niger inland delta region. Journal of Geophysical Research 115, D23114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniel DW, Smith LM, Haukos DA, Johnson LA, McMurry ST (2014) Land use and conservation reserve program effects on the persistence of playa wetlands in the High Plains. Environmental Science and Technology 48:4282–4288

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hessa LL, Melack JM, Novo EMLM, Barbosa CF, Gastil M (2003) Dual-season mapping of wetland inundation and vegetation for the central Amazon basin. Remote Sensing of Environment 87:404–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang C, Peng Y, Lang M, Yeo IY, McCarty G (2014) Wetland inundation mapping and change monitoring using Landsat and airborne LiDAR data. Remote Sensing of Environment 141:231–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson WP, Rice MB, Haukos DA, Thorpe PP (2011) Factors influencing the occurrence of inundated playa wetlands during winter on the Texas high plains. Wetlands 31(6):1287–1296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson LA, Haukos DA, Smith LM, McMurry ST (2012) Physical loss and modification of Southern Great Plains playas. Journal of Environmental Management 112:275–283

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen CF, Bishop AA, Uden DR, Grosse R (2013) Rainwater Basin wetland inundation decision support system guide. Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Report, Grand Island, NE, U.S.A.

  • Kröger R, Lizotte RE Jr, Shields FD Jr, Usborne E (2012) Inundation influences on bioavailability of phosphorus in managed wetland sediments in agricultural landscapes. Journal of Environmental Quality 41:604–614

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kudray G, Gale MR (2000) Evaluation of National Wetland Inventory maps in a heavily forested region in the upper Great Lakes. Wetlands 20(4):581–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuzila MS, Rundquist DC, Green JA (1991) Methods for estimating wetland loss: the rain basin region of Nebraska, 1927–1981. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 44:441–445

    Google Scholar 

  • LaGrange TG (2005) A guide to Nebraska’s wetlands and their conservation needs, 2nd edn. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln

    Google Scholar 

  • LaGrange TG (2010) Wetland program plan for Nebraska, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, Nebraska

    Google Scholar 

  • LaGrange TG, Stutheit R, Gilbert M, Shurtliff D, Whited PM (2011) Sedimentation of Nebraska’s playa wetlands: a review of current knowledge and issues. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang MW, McCarty GW (2009) LiDAR intensity for improved detection of inundation below the forest canopy. Wetlands 29:1166–1178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li R, Tang Z, Li X, Winter J (2013) Drainage structure dataset and its effects on LiDAR-derived surface flow modeling. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2:1136–1152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyon JG, Lyon LK (2011) Practical handbook for wetland identification and delineation, 2nd edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nugent E, Bishop A, Grosse R, LaGrange T, Varner D, Vrtiska M (2015) An assessment of landscape carrying capacity for shorebirds and waterfowl in Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin, a conservation effects assessment project - wildlife component assessment, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

  • O’Connell JL, Johnson LA, Danie DW, McMurrya ST, Smith LM, Haukos DA (2013) Effects of agricultural tillage and sediment accumulation on emergent plant communities in playa wetlands of the U.S. High Plains. Journal of Environmental Management 120:10–17

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poppenga SK, Worstell BB, Stoker JM, Greenlee SK (2010) Using selective drainage methods to extract continuous surface flow from 1-meter lidar-derived digital elevation data: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5059. 12p

  • Schildman G, Hurt J (1984) Update of Rainwater Basin wetland survey. Survey of habitat work plan K-83, W-15-R-40. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln

    Google Scholar 

  • Skagen SK, Melcher CP, Haukos DA (2008) Reducing sedimentation of depressional wetlands in agricultural landscapes. Wetlands 28:594–604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith LM (1998) Research needs for the Rainwater Basin of Nebraska: a hierarchical approach. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith LM (2003) Playas of the Great Plains. University of Texas Press, Austin

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith LM, Haukos D, McMurry S, LaGrange T, Willis D (2011) Ecosystem services provided by playa wetlands in the High Plains: potential influences of USDA conservation programs and practices. Ecological Applications 21:S82–S92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stolt MH, Baker JC (1995) Evaluation of national wetland inventory maps to inventory wetlands in the Southern Blue Ridge of Virginia. Wetlands 15(4):346–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang Z, Li X, Zhao N, Li R, Harvey FE (2012) Developing a restorable wetland index for the Rainwater Basin Wetlands in south-central Nebraska: a multi-criteria spatial analysis. Wetlands 32:975–984

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang Z, Li R, Li X, Jiang W, Hirsh A (2014) Capturing LiDAR-derived hydrologic spatial parameters to evaluate playa wetlands. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 50(1):234–245

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiner RW (1990) Use of high-altitude aerial photography for inventorying forested wetlands in the United States. Forest Ecology Management 33:593–604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiner RW (1997) NWI maps — basic information on the nation’s wetlands. Bioscience 47:269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiner RW (2003) Geographically isolated wetlands of the United States. Wetlands 23:494–516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai J-S, Venne LS, McMurry ST, Smith LM (2007) Influences of land use and wetland characteristics on water loss rates and hydroperiods of playas in the southern high plains, USA. Wetlands 27:683–692

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uden DR (2012) Agricultural land use change impacts on bioenergy production, avifauna, and water use in Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin. M.S. Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, U.S.A. 250 p

  • Webb EK, Smith LM, Vrtiska MP, LaGrange TG (2010) Effects of local and landscape variables on wetland bird habitat use during migration through the Rainwater Basin. Journal of Wildlife Management 74(1):109–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White D, Fennessy S (2005) Modeling the suitability of wetland restoration potential at the watershed scale. Ecological Engineering 24:359–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu M, Kalma D, Treadwell-Steitz C (2014) Differential assessment of designations of wetland status using two delineation methods. Environmental Management 54:23–29

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This paper has been funded wholly or partially by the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (#2013-02) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under assistance agreements (CD 97746701; CD-97738501). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the funding agencies, and do not mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The research team sincerely appreciated the great support from the Rainwater Bain Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The constructive comments from the anonymous reviewers were very helpful to improve the quality of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Community and Regional Planning Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA

    Zhenghong Tang & Yue Gu

  2. State Key Lab of Estuarine & Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Zhijun Dai

  3. School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA

    Yao Li

  4. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE, 68503, USA

    Ted LaGrange

  5. Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Island, NE, 68803, USA

    Andy Bishop

  6. Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Funk, NE, 68940, USA

    Jeff Drahota

Authors
  1. Zhenghong Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yue Gu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhijun Dai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yao Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ted LaGrange
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Andy Bishop
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jeff Drahota
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhenghong Tang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tang, Z., Gu, Y., Dai, Z. et al. Examining Playa Wetland Inundation Conditions for National Wetland Inventory, Soil Survey Geographic Database, and LiDAR Data. Wetlands 35, 641–654 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-015-0654-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-015-0654-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation