Abstract:
With loss of wetlands and their associated ecosystem services within landscapes, it is imperative to be able to understand the change in ecological functions underlying these services. Field-based functional assessments can produce a range of specific scores among a robust set of functions but are time and cost prohibitive as the number of wetlands assessed increases. Remote-based functional assessments are an alternative for broad scale assessments, but trade-off cost for limitations in scoring and functional assemblage. To address these concerns, we created a framework for the development of the Hydrogeomorphic Remote Assessment of Wetland Function (HGM-RAWF). Rooted in the hydrogeomorphic approach of an existing field-based functional assessment and its underlying models, this remote functional assessment substitutes field-based assessment methods with remotely assessed proxies. As potential remote proxies were determined through literature review and statistically screened for use in the remote assessment, a field-based reference wetland database of 222 freshwater wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic Region provided a baseline by which remote data could be compared and calibrated. The resulting HGM-RAWF protocol remotely assesses seven hydrology and biogeochemistry functions in the Mid-Atlantic with assessment scores similar to its field-based counterparts. With noted limitations, the HGM-RAWF framework provides the means to create desktop functional assessments across broad geographic scales with the diversity and specificity of field-based assessments at the reduced costs associated with remote assessments. Its basis in the HGM approach and use of public spatial datasets allows the framework to be adopted regionally and can be used as a model for national wetland functional assessment.
摘要:
随着湿地及其相关生态系统服务在景观中的丧失,必须能够理解这些服务背后的生态功能变化。基于现场的功能评估可以在一组强大的功能中产生一系列特定的分数,但是随着评估的湿地数量的增加,时间和成本过高。基于远程的功能评估是广泛评估的替代方案,但在评分和功能组合方面的局限性需要权衡成本。为了解决这些问题,我们创建了一个开发湿地功能水文地貌远程评估(HGM-RAWF)的框架。植根于现有的基于野外的功能评估及其基础模型的水文地貌方法,这种远程功能评估用远程评估代理代替了基于现场的评估方法。由于潜在的远程代理是通过文献综述和统计筛选确定的,用于远程评估,大西洋中部地区222个淡水湿地的基于野外的参考湿地数据库提供了一个基线,可以通过该基线比较和校准远程数据。由此产生的HGM-RAWF协议远程评估了大西洋中部的七个水文学和生物地球化学功能,其评估分数与基于野外的评估分数相似。有明显的限制,HGM-RAWF框架提供了在广泛的地理范围内创建桌面功能评估的手段,具有基于实地的评估的多样性和特殊性,同时降低了与远程评估相关的成本。它在HGM方法和公共空间数据集的使用中的基础使该框架可以在区域范围内采用,并可以用作国家湿地功能评估的模型。