Barrier island habitat map and vegetation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2015
Dates
Publication Date
2017-06-22
Start Date
2015-11-16
End Date
2015-12-16
Citation
Enwright, N.M., Borchert, S.M., Day, R.H., Feher, L.C., Osland, M.J., Wang, L., and Wang, H., 2017, Barrier island habitat map and vegetation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2015: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7513WPC.
Summary
This dataset includes barrier island land cover types collected from mid-November 2015 to mid-December 2015 along randomly placed transects at seven sites throughout the east end of Dauphin Island. Specifically, this data collection included characterizing land cover types and measuring horizontal position and elevation. We characterized plant community composition and structure for a subset of these points (see Vegetation Survey Data Table). This work was conducted through a joint effort by the State of Alabama, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the feasibility of various restoration alternatives and how specific alternatives might increase the resiliency and sustainability of Dauphin Island. [...]
Summary
This dataset includes barrier island land cover types collected from mid-November 2015 to mid-December 2015 along randomly placed transects at seven sites throughout the east end of Dauphin Island. Specifically, this data collection included characterizing land cover types and measuring horizontal position and elevation. We characterized plant community composition and structure for a subset of these points (see Vegetation Survey Data Table). This work was conducted through a joint effort by the State of Alabama, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the feasibility of various restoration alternatives and how specific alternatives might increase the resiliency and sustainability of Dauphin Island. The overarching goal of the aforementioned effort is to preserve and enhance the ecological functions and values of the island. This product provides a powerful tool for tracking changes to barrier island habitats over time. This data release includes the following three components, which are included in the attached ZIP file: 1) Dauphin Island Habitat Map (Raster data) 2) Land Cover and Vegetation Field Data Points (Vector data) 3) Vegetation Survey Data (Tabular data)
Barrier islands provide numerous invaluable ecosystem services including storm protection and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, salinity regulation in estuaries, carbon sequestration in marsh habitats, recreation, and tourism (Barbier and others, 2011). These islands are very dynamic environments due to their position at the land-sea interface. Storms, wave energy, tides, currents, and relative sea-level rise are powerful forces that shape barrier island geomorphology and habitats. Habitat mapping and monitoring is an important part of ecosystem monitoring on barrier islands. This dataset includes barrier island land cover from mid-November 2015 to mid-December 2015 along randomly placed transects at seven sites throughout the east end of Dauphin Island. Specifically, this data collection included characterizing land cover types and measuring horizontal position and elevation. We characterized plant community composition and structure for a subset of these points (see Vegetation Survey Data Table). This work was conducted through a joint effort by the State of Alabama, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the feasibility of various restoration alternatives and how specific alternatives might increase the resiliency and sustainability of Dauphin Island. The overarching goal of the aforementioned effort is to preserve and enhance the ecological functions and values of the island. This product provides a powerful tool for tracking changes to barrier island habitats over time. This dataset can be joined to the Vegetation Survey Data table using the VegID field.
