Van Appledorn, M., Rohweder, J.J., and De Jager, N.R., 2024, Floodplain Inundation Model and Inundation Depths: Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P13BRXXJ.
Summary
Floodplain inundation is believed to be the dominant physical driver of an array of ecosystem patterns and processes in the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). Here, we present a time series of daily surface water inundation depths (in feet) for floodplain surfaces in the UMRS. The time series data are for the months of April through September of every year since 1940. These months were chosen because it approximates the period during which most biophysical processes such as vegetation metabolism and biogeochemical cycling are likely to be strongest across the longitudinal gradient of the UMRS. Data were derived from a geospatial model of surface water inundation developed for the UMRS and described in Van Appledorn et al. (2021; [...]
Summary
Floodplain inundation is believed to be the dominant physical driver of an array of ecosystem patterns and processes in the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). Here, we present a time series of daily surface water inundation depths (in feet) for floodplain surfaces in the UMRS. The time series data are for the months of April through September of every year since 1940. These months were chosen because it approximates the period during which most biophysical processes such as vegetation metabolism and biogeochemical cycling are likely to be strongest across the longitudinal gradient of the UMRS. Data were derived from a geospatial model of surface water inundation developed for the UMRS and described in Van Appledorn et al. (2021; doi: 10.1002/rra.3628). We excluded areas permanently wetted (aquatic areas), surfaces in agricultural production, roads, and developed areas. The data are intended for use in geospatial analyses of UMRS floodplain ecosystem patterns and processes.
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Purpose
These data were developed to describe hydrologic conditions of non-aquatic areas in the Upper Mississippi River System when joined with appropriate relative elevation and river mile rasters. Examples of suitable uses include stratifying regional sampling efforts or monitoring programs, providing context for interpreting fine-scale studies of local inundation patterns, or development of floodplain functional classes using additional flood metrics.
