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One of the most destructive tropical cyclones ever to strike the U.S., Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Mississippi coast on 29th August 2005. The Mississippi-Alabama (MS-AL) barrier islands were subjected to storm breaching, area reduction, and vegetation loss caused by a number of parameters including salt spray, saltwater flooding, mechanical damage (e.g., ablation of bark from tree trunks), removal of plants and their soil substrate by scouring, burial under sand, and a 10-month, post-storm period of low rainfall. Repeated acquisitions of remotely-sensed data served as an essential tool in quantifying vegetated and total land area before and after the storm, and post-storm ecological community type and topographic elevation. Vegetated land area continued to decline on some islands in the first year following the storm. However, by November 2007, only 2.2 years after the storm, total vegetated land area had recovered to 72, 96, 77, 93, and 82%, and total subaerial land area to 97, 94, 33, 100, and 104%, of pre-Katrina values on Cat, W. Ship, E. Ship, Horn, and Petit Bois islands by natural re-growth and sediment accretion, respectively. Comparing ecological community-type maps that were developed from field and remotely-sensed data with LiDAR-derived digital elevation models determined that year 2010 ecological community type changed distinctively at the decimeter scale as mean surface elevation ranged from 0.1 m to 1.2 m. Storm-related changes in ecological community type included subtidal to supratidal sand flat, low marsh to wet or dry herbland, and woodland to wet herbland/shrubland.
Gregory A. Carter; Ervin G. Otvos; Carlton P. Anderson; William R. Funderburk; Kelly L. Lucas. Catastrophic storm impact and gradual recovery on the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands, 2005–2010: Changes in vegetated and total land area, and relationships of post-storm ecological communities with surface elevation. Geomorphology 2018, 321, 72 -86.
AMA StyleGregory A. Carter, Ervin G. Otvos, Carlton P. Anderson, William R. Funderburk, Kelly L. Lucas. Catastrophic storm impact and gradual recovery on the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands, 2005–2010: Changes in vegetated and total land area, and relationships of post-storm ecological communities with surface elevation. Geomorphology. 2018; 321 ():72-86.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGregory A. Carter; Ervin G. Otvos; Carlton P. Anderson; William R. Funderburk; Kelly L. Lucas. 2018. "Catastrophic storm impact and gradual recovery on the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands, 2005–2010: Changes in vegetated and total land area, and relationships of post-storm ecological communities with surface elevation." Geomorphology 321, no. : 72-86.
Land cover on the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands was surveyed in 2010–2011 as part of continuing research on island geomorphic and vegetation dynamics following the 2005 impact of Hurricane Katrina. Results of the survey include sub-meter GPS location, a listing of dominant vegetation species and field photographs recorded at 375 sampling locations distributed among Cat, West Ship, East Ship, Horn, Sand, Petit Bois and Dauphin Islands. The survey was conducted in a period of intensive remote sensing data acquisition over the northern Gulf of Mexico by federal, state and commercial organizations in response to the 2010 Macondo Well (Deepwater Horizon) oil spill. The data are useful in providing ground reference information for thematic classification of remotely-sensed imagery, and a record of land cover which may be used in future research.
Gregory A. Carter; Carlton P. Anderson; Kelly L. Lucas; Nathan L. Hopper. Land Cover Data for the Mississippi–Alabama Barrier Islands, 2010–2011. Data 2016, 1, 16 .
AMA StyleGregory A. Carter, Carlton P. Anderson, Kelly L. Lucas, Nathan L. Hopper. Land Cover Data for the Mississippi–Alabama Barrier Islands, 2010–2011. Data. 2016; 1 (3):16.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGregory A. Carter; Carlton P. Anderson; Kelly L. Lucas; Nathan L. Hopper. 2016. "Land Cover Data for the Mississippi–Alabama Barrier Islands, 2010–2011." Data 1, no. 3: 16.
The Mississippi (MS) barrier island chain along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline is subject to rapid changes in habitat, geomorphology and elevation by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The purpose of this study was to compare habitat type coverage with respective elevation, geomorphic features and short-term change between the naturally-formed East Ship Island and the man-made Sand Island. Ground surveys, multi-year remotely-sensed data, habitat classifications and digital elevation models were used to quantify short-term habitat and geomorphic change, as well as to examine the relationships between habitat types and micro-elevation. Habitat types and species composition were the same on both islands with the exception of the algal flat existing on the lower elevated spits of East Ship. Both islands displayed common patterns of vegetation succession and ranges of existence in elevation. Additionally, both islands showed similar geomorphic features, such as fore and back dunes and ponds. Storm impacts had the most profound effects on vegetation and geomorphic features throughout the study period. Although vastly different in age, these two islands show remarkable commonalities among the traits investigated. In comparison to East Ship, Sand Island exhibits key characteristics of a natural barrier island in terms of its vegetated habitats, geomorphic features and response to storm impacts, although it was established anthropogenically only decades ago.
Carlton P. Anderson; Gregory A. Carter; William R. Funderburk. The Use of Aerial RGB Imagery and LIDAR in Comparing Ecological Habitats and Geomorphic Features on a Natural versus Man-Made Barrier Island. Remote Sensing 2016, 8, 602 .
AMA StyleCarlton P. Anderson, Gregory A. Carter, William R. Funderburk. The Use of Aerial RGB Imagery and LIDAR in Comparing Ecological Habitats and Geomorphic Features on a Natural versus Man-Made Barrier Island. Remote Sensing. 2016; 8 (7):602.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarlton P. Anderson; Gregory A. Carter; William R. Funderburk. 2016. "The Use of Aerial RGB Imagery and LIDAR in Comparing Ecological Habitats and Geomorphic Features on a Natural versus Man-Made Barrier Island." Remote Sensing 8, no. 7: 602.
In the northern Gulf of Mexico, sudden alterations to barrier islands occur relatively often as a result of hurricanes. Barrier island vegetation is affected by storm impacts, such as burial under sand overwash and direct removal by erosion, and also by wind-driven salt spray and flooding by saltwater tidal surge. This study utilized field surveys in conjunction with remotely-sensed data to evaluate changes in the composition and distribution of vegetation on Horn Island, Mississippi, U.S.A., in the initial five years after Hurricane Katrina. The majority of habitat change occurred closer to the shoreline and in areas of overwash. Habitat change was most often associated with an adjustment to higher-elevation plant communities at the expense of wetlands. In addition, substantial tree and shrub mortality as a result of wind, storm surge, salt-spray, and saltwater flooding reduced maritime forest and stable dune habitat, decreasing habitat stability and ecosystem maturity. The lag time in vegetation establishment and foredune development following the storm allowed for sediment transport into back-barrier habitats. Thus, postponing restoration efforts, such as dune plantings or fencing, until at least one full growing season has elapsed following a hurricane may provide back-barrier habitats with the sediment deposition needed to offset sea-level rise and subsidence.
K.L. Lucas; G.A. Carter. Change in distribution and composition of vegetated habitats on Horn Island, Mississippi, northern Gulf of Mexico, in the initial five years following Hurricane Katrina. Geomorphology 2013, 199, 129 -137.
AMA StyleK.L. Lucas, G.A. Carter. Change in distribution and composition of vegetated habitats on Horn Island, Mississippi, northern Gulf of Mexico, in the initial five years following Hurricane Katrina. Geomorphology. 2013; 199 ():129-137.
Chicago/Turabian StyleK.L. Lucas; G.A. Carter. 2013. "Change in distribution and composition of vegetated habitats on Horn Island, Mississippi, northern Gulf of Mexico, in the initial five years following Hurricane Katrina." Geomorphology 199, no. : 129-137.
Vertical aerial image data were used with an edge-detection procedure and visual image interpretation to determine yearly to decadal changes in seagrass (predominantly Halodule wrightii Ascherson) coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands. On Horn Island, seagrass coverage declined from 77 ha in 1940 to 19 ha in 1971, but returned to its 1940 value by 2006. Coverage on Petit Bois declined from 54 ha in 1940 to 8–19 ha from 1952 through 2007. On East Ship, seagrass coverage varied at 2–19 ha from 1963 to 2007. On West Ship, coverage dropped to zero in 2003, but by 2007 it had increased to approximate its 1975 value of 1.8 ha. On Cat Island, coverage increased from 22 ha in 2003 to 71 ha in 2007. There was no apparent negative impact of Hurricane Camille or Hurricane Katrina on seagrass coverage, which could vary annually by a factor of two or more.
Gregory A. Carter; Kelly L. Lucas; Patrick D. Biber; G. Alan Criss; Gabriel A. Blossom. Historical changes in seagrass coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands, northern Gulf of Mexico, determined from vertical aerial imagery (1940–2007). Geocarto International 2011, 26, 663 -673.
AMA StyleGregory A. Carter, Kelly L. Lucas, Patrick D. Biber, G. Alan Criss, Gabriel A. Blossom. Historical changes in seagrass coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands, northern Gulf of Mexico, determined from vertical aerial imagery (1940–2007). Geocarto International. 2011; 26 (8):663-673.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGregory A. Carter; Kelly L. Lucas; Patrick D. Biber; G. Alan Criss; Gabriel A. Blossom. 2011. "Historical changes in seagrass coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands, northern Gulf of Mexico, determined from vertical aerial imagery (1940–2007)." Geocarto International 26, no. 8: 663-673.
Relationships of plant species richness with spectral indices derived from airborne hyperspectral image data were evaluated for several habitat-types on Horn Island, Mississippi, northern Gulf of Mexico. A 126-band hyperspectral data cube of Horn Island acquired by the HyMap imaging system covered the 450–2500 nm spectrum at a 3 m Ground Sample Distance (GSD). Reflectance spectra were extracted from 5–11 HyMap pixels representing each of 95, 15-m vegetation line transects that were established randomly on the island. In simple regressions, no index related to richness when data from all habitat-types were combined. However, a number of reflectance and spectral derivative indices related significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with richness when habitat-types were considered separately. Only those indices which passed a fidelity test based on the consistency of index response to changes in plant and environmental moisture were selected as potentially reliable indicators of richness. Transect coefficient of variation (CV) for R1056/R966 and R920/R834 related negatively with richness in meadows and transition zones, respectively. The CV of R951/R1100 and R904 related negatively with woodland richness. Negative regression slopes, field observations and spectral mixtures indicated that richness in these habitats declined with increased bare soil exposure. In marsh habitat, positive relationships of richness with mean R618/R2475 or the CV of R514/R2459 were explained by the increasing presence and patchy distribution of broadleaved vegetation in the progression from wetter, low-richness sites to slightly-elevated, higher-richness sites. Present results combined with those of a previous grassland study suggested that remotely-sensed indicators of soil exposure may be generally useful in the assessment of plant species richness in mesic habitats.
K Lucas; G Carter. The use of hyperspectral remote sensing to assess vascular plant species richness on Horn Island, Mississippi. Remote Sensing of Environment 2008, 112, 3908 -3915.
AMA StyleK Lucas, G Carter. The use of hyperspectral remote sensing to assess vascular plant species richness on Horn Island, Mississippi. Remote Sensing of Environment. 2008; 112 (10):3908-3915.
Chicago/Turabian StyleK Lucas; G Carter. 2008. "The use of hyperspectral remote sensing to assess vascular plant species richness on Horn Island, Mississippi." Remote Sensing of Environment 112, no. 10: 3908-3915.
Hyperspectral imagery of the Konza Prairie Biological Station in northeastern Kansas was used to evaluate upwelling spectral radiance, prairie spectral reflectance and band ratios of each as potential indicators of vascular plant species richness in a mesic grassland. The extent to which spatial variability in these parameters related to plant species richness also was investigated. A 224 channel hyperspectral data cube acquired in June 2000 by the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) provided complete coverage of the 400–2500 nm range at approximately 10 nm per channel. After band deletions accounted for detector overlap and strong atmospheric attenuation features, 176 bands were retained for analysis and spanned the 404–2400 nm range. Prairie reflectance was estimated via radiative transfer modeling and scaling to a library spectrum of highway construction material. Data were sampled from pixels having a 19 m ground sample distance (GSD) to represent each of 93 vegetation sampling transects. Reflectance and radiance at mid-infrared wavelengths (e.g., 1553 nm), and band ratios that were based on atmospheric windows in the red, near-infrared and mid-infrared spectra estimated species richness to within 6 to 7 species per transect. The 856 to 780 nm radiance or reflectance ratio yielded maximum adjusted coefficients of determination (r2) of approximately 0.4 in regressions with richness when data from bison-grazed and ungrazed areas were combined. These regressions remained significant (p ≤ 0.001) when only ungrazed areas were assessed although r2 reduced to approximately 0.2. Richness was related significantly also to the 433 to 674 nm reflectance ratio for grazed-plus-ungrazed and ungrazed-only areas. In contrast, the effectiveness of the 433 to 674 nm radiance ratio was reduced by atmospheric backscatter. Species richness did not correlate strongly or consistently with transect spatial variability (coefficient of variation or range) in radiance, reflectance or band ratio value, apparently as a consequence of the relatively small area sampled for each transect (approximately 0.5 ha). Relationships between richness and prairie spectral features were explained by the influence of soil exposure on both parameters. Richness and estimated soil exposure tended to increase from ungrazed lowlands, to ungrazed slopes, to ungrazed uplands to grazed areas. Remotely sensed estimates of soil exposure may be particularly useful in addressing plant species richness on grazed grasslands owing to an overall similarity in spectral reflectance among dominant plant species.
Gregory A. Carter; Alan K. Knapp; Jim E. Anderson; Greg A. Hoch; Melinda D. Smith. Indicators of plant species richness in AVIRIS spectra of a mesic grassland. Remote Sensing of Environment 2005, 98, 304 -316.
AMA StyleGregory A. Carter, Alan K. Knapp, Jim E. Anderson, Greg A. Hoch, Melinda D. Smith. Indicators of plant species richness in AVIRIS spectra of a mesic grassland. Remote Sensing of Environment. 2005; 98 (2-3):304-316.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGregory A. Carter; Alan K. Knapp; Jim E. Anderson; Greg A. Hoch; Melinda D. Smith. 2005. "Indicators of plant species richness in AVIRIS spectra of a mesic grassland." Remote Sensing of Environment 98, no. 2-3: 304-316.
A prototype instrument was used under clear skies to determine the efficacy of the Fraunhofer Line–Depth Principle in detecting short-term (less than one day) changes in solar-excited fluorescence (F) as an indicator of plant physiological status. Corn (Zea mays L. var. Shoe Peg) and soybean (Glycine max L. var. Hutcheson) plants grown in pots outdoors were either assigned as controls or treated with bromacil, a photosystem II herbicide. The Plant Fluorescence System (PFS) measured the radiant flux of F and total upwelling radiant flux (M) from individual leaves in 10 nm bandwidths centred at 690 nm and 760 nm. The herbicide lowered (p=0.01) net photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rates to negative values in both species. In corn, this corresponded with increases in mean F to 5.9 mW m−2 nm−1 and 3.8 mW m−2 nm−1 at 690 nm and 760 nm, respectively, approximately twice control values. In soybean, mean F at 760 nm increased from 2.6 mW m−2 nm−1 to 3.8 mW m−2 nm−1, whereas F at 690 nm was unaffected. Leaf chlorophyll contents were unaffected by treatment. Although the stress induced was drastic, these changes in F increased M by only 1–2%, demonstrating the high radiometric sensitivity required for detection. It is expected that, for whole plant canopies, a still greater variability in F among leaves would further reduce its apparent contribution to M.
G. A. Carter; A. Freedman; P. L. Kebabian; H. E. Scott. Use of a prototype instrument to detect short-term changes in solar-excited leaf fluorescence. International Journal of Remote Sensing 2004, 25, 1779 -1784.
AMA StyleG. A. Carter, A. Freedman, P. L. Kebabian, H. E. Scott. Use of a prototype instrument to detect short-term changes in solar-excited leaf fluorescence. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 2004; 25 (9):1779-1784.
Chicago/Turabian StyleG. A. Carter; A. Freedman; P. L. Kebabian; H. E. Scott. 2004. "Use of a prototype instrument to detect short-term changes in solar-excited leaf fluorescence." International Journal of Remote Sensing 25, no. 9: 1779-1784.