Mapping wetland hydrological connectivity in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Session: Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands: Innovative Research to Improve Restoration (4)

Mary Miller, Michigan Tech Research Institute, [email protected]
Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Michigan Tech Research Inst., [email protected]
Michael Battaglia, MTRI, [email protected]
Guy Meadows, Michigan Technological University, [email protected]
Colin Brooks, Michigan Tech Research Institute, [email protected]

Abstract

Identifying Michigan’s coastal wetlands is important for natural resource management as these wetlands provide vital wildlife habitat and protect neighboring uplands and shorelines from flooding and erosion due to storm surges and high lake levels. An automated algorithm was developed using existing datasets and stream delineation tools to map hydrological connectivity between coastal wetlands and the Laurentian Great Lakes.  Connections at varying water levels were mapped using 10 m USGS Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), MTRI’s binational Great Lakes coastal wetland map, and archival water level gage data. Wetlands connected at low water levels could not be readily identified however as the minimum elevation in many of the coastal DEMs were higher than the low water levels.  Replacing USGS DEMS with NOAA bathymetric lidar data allowed for the creation of wetland connectivity maps at low, average and high water levels.