Land Use Changes Great Lakes Coast
Ann Arbor, MI — "Snapshots" of land use in 1940 versus 2003 on western Lake Erie show profound changes that are typical of the Great Lakes coast. Residential areas doubled, driven by an 80% increase in population.
Major developments included a coal-fired power plant, a landfill, and the Detroit-Toledo Expressway. There was an 18% loss of coastal marshes, and shoreline erosion has changed the shape of sand spits and islands.
"Sediment and pollutants from watersheds can end up in Great Lakes bays and wetlands, so we need to look landward for causes of coastal degradation," says Carol Johnston, a Professor at South Dakota State University. "Long-term observations using historical air photos are important for understanding present-day coastal environments."
Agricultural use decreased from three-fourths to one-half of coastal land area with the expansion of development, but farming intensified on the remaining agricultural land. The land use changes were measured by comparing historical aerial photos with contemporary satellite images for a 100 km2 (38.6 square mile) area on the Michigan-Ohio border.
Original Publication Information
Results of this study "Sixty-three Years of Land Alteration in Erie Township," are reported by Carol A. Johnston, Tami Watson and Peter T. Wolter in the latest issue (Volume 33, SI3, pp. 253-268) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, 2007.
Contacts
For more information about the study, contact Carol Johnston, Department of Biology & Microbiology, Box 2207B, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007; carol.johnston@sdstate.edu, (605) 688-6464.
For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; editor@iaglr.org; (608) 692-1076.
Links
Since 1967, IAGLR has served as the focal point for compiling and disseminating multidisciplinary knowledge on North America's Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. In part, IAGLR communicates this knowledge through publication of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, available to members in print and electronic form. A searchable archive of the journal is available online and includes the abstracts of articles from the journal's inception in 1975 through the most recent issue. In addition, complete articles are available to members who have signed up for an electronic subscription.
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