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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory » Research » Research Project #445132

Research Project: Modeling Watershed Processes for Assessing Ecosystem Services Provided by Restored Wetlands

Location: Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory

Project Number: 8042-13610-030-083-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 1, 2023
End Date: Aug 31, 2024

Objective:
The overall objective of this study is to develop protocols for rapid assessment of wetland ecosystem services. At the watershed scale, the assessment can then be applied to NWI wetlands across a selected watershed to inventory wetland functions and associated ecosystem services to provide proof of concept for USDA National Resources Inventory (NRI) use. 1. Collect field and remote sensing data to support assessment of wetland ecosystem services. 2. Perform geospatial modeling in support of the Mid Atlantic Region CEAP Wetland project. 3. Prepare progress reports and published reports that document project outcomes.

Approach:
ARS has selected 48 study sites in the Coastal Plains of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and/or North Carolina. Study sites will consist of 16 prior converted wetlands on croplands, 16 hydrologically restored wetlands, and 16 wetlands with native vegetation. The cooperator will develop models that predict ecosystem provided by restored wetlands using the population of study sites. The cooperator will work with ARS and other study participants to analyze the data within the context of ecosystem service delivery.