Open the Data Resource: https://geonarrative.usgs.gov/uscoastalwetlandsynthesis/ The U.S. Geological Survey is using field observations and remote-sensing data to assess the physical condition of coastal wetlands and their response to external forces. The Coastal Wetland Synthesis Story Maps collection introduces four use-cases of the data to address diverse stakeholder needs in the coastal zone.

This product provides regional estimates of specific wetland types (bog and fen) in Alaska. Available wetland types mapped by the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) program were re-classed into bog, fen, and other. NWI mapping of wetlands was only done for a portion of the area so a decision tree mapping algorithm was then developed to estimate bog, fen, and other across the state of Alaska using remote sensing and GIS spatial data sets as inputs. This data was used and presented in two chapters on the USGS Alaska LandCarbon Report

Nature-based solutions is a leading policy option for mitigating climate change. We mapped areas of potential restoration and conservation opportunities in the conterminous U.S. (CONUS). The potential for five scenarios were examined: increasing forest cover in urban centers, restoring historically forested areas that have been converted to grasslands, conserving pristine grasslands, rewetting peatlands, and conserving vulnerable tidal wetlands.

Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall on October 29, 2012, near Brigantine, New Jersey, had a significant impact on coastal New Jersey, including the large areas of emergent wetlands at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the Barnegat Bay region. In response to Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has undertaken several projects to assess the impacts of the storm and provide data and scientific analysis to support recovery and restoration efforts. As part of these efforts, the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) sponsored Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project in collaboration with the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed a three-dimensional (3D) 1-meter topobathymetric elevation models (TBDEMs) for the New Jersey/Delaware sub-region including the Delaware Estuary and adjacent coastline. The integrated elevation data are extending the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Elevation Dataset within the Hurricane Sandy impact zone to enable the widespread creation of flood, hurricane, and sea-level rise inundation hazard maps. More information on the USGS CoNED project is available at http://topotools.cr.usgs.gov/coned/index.php. The CoNED Applications Project team is also developing new applications for pre- and post-Hurricane Sandy regional lidar datasets for mapping the spatial extent of coastal wetlands. These new methods have been developed to derive detailed land/water polygons for an area in coastal New Jersey, which is dominated by a complex configuration of emergent wetlands and open water. Using pre- and post-Hurricane Sandy lidar data, repeatable geospatial methods were used to map the land/water spatial configuration at a regional scale to complement wetland mapping that uses traditional methods such as photointerpretation and image classification.

This service cartographically renders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wetlands and deepwater habitat data for use as a base layer wetland map information for general use products greater or equal to 1:100,000 scale. Three main categories were identified (Emergent Wetlands, Forest/Shrub Wetlands and Inland Waters) to render these features to resembles the USGS topographic maps. The emergent wetlands are symbolized with blue wetland map symbology and white polygon fill, without a polygon outline. The emergent wetlands depicted do not include lakes, rivers, open water ponds, deepwater marine and estuarine features or non-vegetated, farmed, intermittent and temporarily flooded wetlands. The forested and scrub/shrub wetlands are symbolized with blue wetland map symbology and green polygon fill, without a polygon outline. The forested and scrub/shrub wetlands depicted do not include lakes, rivers, open water ponds, deepwater marine and estuarine features or non-vegetated, farmed, intermittent and temporarily flooded wetlands. The inland waters include lakes, rivers, open water ponds, open water estuarine features and are symbolized with a light blue polygon fill, without a polygon outline. The water features depicted do not include vegetated or non-vegetated wetlands. This service also includes a wetlands symbol service that cartographically renders all vegetated wetlands with blue wetland map symbology with no polygon fill or outline. This service was developed to provide base map wetland information as an overlay to imagery or other complex base map information. The wetlands depicted do not include lakes, rivers, open water ponds, deepwater marine and estuarine features or non-vegetated, farmed, intermittent and temporarily flooded wetlands.

The Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program administered by the NRCS. It provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture. For a site to be a wetland eligible for restoration, it must be in a zone with sustained or frequent flooding for a period of 7 consecutive days on average at least once every 2 years (a value termed the 7MQ2). This study calculated the 7MQ2 flows for all the U.S. Geological Survey streamgages within the selected study reaches. These flows were related to the stage discharge tables for each streamgage and a corresponding elevation was determined. By use of the water-surface elevations (“inundation elevations”) along the rivers, an approximate extent of potential wetland for a restoration in agricultural land can be mapped. As part of the study, a set of maps representing the estimated potential wetland extents for each study reach was generated in a geographic information system (GIS) application by combining (1) a digital water-surface plane representing the surface of inundation elevation that sloped in the downstream direction of flow and (2) land-surface elevation data. The map products from this study will aid the NRCS and its partners with the onsite inundation-zone verification in agricultural land for a potential restoration.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) scientists conducted field data collection efforts during June 11th - 16th, 2020, using a combination of remote sensing technologies to map riverbank and wetland topography and vegetation at five sites in the Chesapeake Bay Region of Virginia. The five sites are located along the James, Severn, and York Rivers. The work was initiated to evaluate the utility of different remote sensing technologies in mapping river bluff and wetland topography and vegetation for change detection and sediment transport modeling. The USGS team collected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), total station, and ground based lidar (GBL) data while the VIMS team collected aerial imagery using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). This data release contains shapefiles of the processed GNSS and total station data, point clouds in the form of lidar data exchange (las) files from the ground lidar data and aerial imagery produced via Structure from Motion (SfM).

Open the Data Resource: https://www.fws.gov/program/national-wetlands-inventory/wetlands-data The National Wetlands Inventory Data Layer is the product of over 45 years of work by the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and its collaborators and currently contains more than 35 million wetland and deepwater features. This dataset, covering the conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the major Northern Mariana Islands and Alaska, continues to grow at a rate of 50 to100 million acres annually as data are updated. The data layer is updated twice a year and these changes are reflected on the mapper and in the data downloads. Wetlands map services are available at https://fwspublicservices.wim.usgs.gov/wetlandsmapservice/rest/services/Wetlands/MapServer

The Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program administered by the NRCS. It provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture. For a site to be a wetland eligible for restoration, it must be in a zone with sustained or frequent flooding for a period of 7 consecutive days on average at least once every 2 years (a value termed the 7MQ2). This study calculated the 7MQ2 flows for all the U.S. Geological Survey streamgages within the selected study reaches. These flows were related to the stage discharge tables for each streamgage and a corresponding elevation was determined. By use of the water-surface elevations (“inundation elevations”) along the rivers, an approximate extent of potential wetland for a restoration in agricultural land can be mapped. As part of the study, a set of maps representing the estimated potential wetland extents for each study reach was generated in a geographic information system (GIS) application by combining (1) a digital water-surface plane representing the surface of inundation elevation that sloped in the downstream direction of flow and (2) land-surface elevation data. The map products from this study will aid the NRCS and its partners with the onsite inundation-zone verification in agricultural land for a potential restoration.

This data release includes geospatial data for irregularly flooded wetlands and high marsh and salt pannes/flats along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from Texas to Florida. Specifically, this release includes seven products: (1) a map highlighting the continuous probability that an area is an irregularly flooded wetland; (2) a map of irregularly flooded wetland probability reclassified into four bins; (3) a map delineating high marsh and salt pannes/flats; (4) a map from Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana to the Florida Big Bend delineating the coverage of irregularly flooded wetlands that have Juncus roemerianus (Black needlerush) as the dominant vegetation species; (5) a spatial metadata file showing what elevation data were used for specific locations; (6) a supplemental version of the high marsh and salt pannes/flats map that has a second class for high marsh for parts of Texas where succulents and Distichlis spicata were dominant species; and (7) a dataset of supplemental proje ...

We produced a time series of maps of habitat structure within wetlands of the Central Valley of California. The structure of open water and tall emergent vegetation, such as Typha spp. and Schoenoplectus spp., is critical for migratory birds. Through field observation and digitization of high resolution imagery we identified the locations of tall emergent vegetation, water, and other land cover. Using a random forest classification, we classified multispectral Landsat 8 imagery 2013-2017. We used images from the fall when most wetlands are flooded and the summer to separate trees and tall emergent vegetation. The final maps show the distribution and extent of tall emergent vegetation within wetlands. Final time series has two products: the basic map which contains the tall emergent vegetation, water, and other, and the mixed map which the water and other classes are the same as the basic and the tall emergent class is broken into mixed (tall emergent 50-74%), tall emergent (>75 ...

This web mapping application highlights eight sites where wetlands change is evident on historical topographic maps published by the US Geological Survey. Wetlands, formerly named swamps and marshes on topographic maps, are low-lying areas that are wet, spongy land that is saturated and at times covered with water. Water cannot drain from the land because of flat land, impervious material, or vegetation. Swamps often contain scattered growth of trees or shrubs. A marsh is wet or periodically inundated treeless land generally characterized by grass, cattails or reeds.“At the time of European settlement in the early 1600's, the area that was to become the conterminous United States had approximately 221 million acres of wetlands. About 103 million acres remained as of the mid-1980's” Read more about the History of Wetlands in the United States here. USGS delineates wetlands based on fluctuations in surface waters or of the water table. These areas are overprinted with a “swamp tuft’ repeating symbol. Variations include the swamp symbol on a light blue background for submerged wetlands, a light green background for wooded wetlands, and a darker green background for submerged wooded wetlands. Additional variations may be observed on some of the older historical maps. For example, on early topographic maps the symbology delineated a wetland edge with the swamp symbol along the inside border. This technique was likely employed as a time saving measure where the printing process required manually engraving images on copper plates.The historical maps featured here are part of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. View the USA Historical Topo Maps web map to see the full collection.Reference: National water summary on wetland resources, 1996, compiled by Fretwell, J. D.; Williams, John S.; Redman, Phillip J. USGS Water Supply Paper: 2425 [https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/2425/report.pdf]

History of wetlands in the conterminous United States by Thomas E. Dahl and Gregory ]. Allord, pages 19 - 26

Wetland definitions and classifications in the United States by Ralph W. Tiner, pages 27 - 34

The MassDEP Wetlands dataset comprises two ArcGIS geodatabase feature classes:The WETLANDSDEP_POLY layer contains polygon features delineating mapped wetland resource areas and attribute codes indicating wetland type.The WETLANDSDEP_ARC layer was generated from the polygon features and contains arc attribute coding based on the adjacent polygons as well as arcs defined as hydrologic connections.Together these statewide layers enhance and replace the original MassDEP wetlands layers, formerly known as DEP Wetlands (1:12,000). It should be noted that these layers provide a medium-scale representation of the wetland areas of the state and are for planning purposes only. Wetlands boundary determination for other purposes, such as the Wetlands Protection Act MA Act M.G.L. c. 131 or local bylaws must use the relevant procedures and criteria.The original MassDEP wetlands mapping project was based on the photo-interpretation of 1:12,000, stereo color-infrared (CIR) photography, captured between 1990 and 2000, and included field verification by the MassDEP Wetlands Conservancy Program (WCP). In 2007 the MassDEP WCP began a statewide effort to assess and where necessary update the original wetlands data. The MassDEP WCP used ESRI ArcGIS Desktop software, assisted by the PurVIEW Stereo Viewing extension, to evaluate and update the original wetlands features based on photo-interpretation of 0.5m, (1:5,000) digital stereo CIR imagery statewide, captured in April 2005. No field verification was conducted on this updated 2005 wetlands data.The 2005 WETLANDSDEP_POLY layer includes polygon features that distinguish it from its predecessor by overall changes in size and shape. In addition, new polygons have been created and original ones deleted. Many of the polygons, however, remain the same as in the original layer. All changes have been made according to the techniques described below. For the purpose of cartographic continuity, a small number of coastal polygons outside the state boundary where added based on data provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The 2005 WETLANDSDEP_ARC layer was generated to support map display and was designed to cartographically enhance the rendering of wetland features on a base map. Arc features in this layer were generated from the wetland polygons and coding (ARC_CODE) was assigned based on the adjacent polygon types. Hydrologic connection features (ARC_CODE = 7) were then added. Where delineated, these arc features indicate an observed hydrologic connection to or between wetland polygons. Although efforts were made to be comprehensive and thorough in mapping hydrologic connections, due to the limitations of aerial photo-interpretation some areas may have been missed.The types of updates made to the original wetland features include alteration, movement/realignment and reclassification. In some cases original wetland areas have been deleted and new areas have been added. Updates to original wetland features resulted from the following factors: changes in the natural environment due to human activity or natural causes; advances in the field of remote sensing, allowing for more refined mapping.Edit changes to the original wetland data include:Addition of new wetland and hydrologic connection featuresAppending (expansion or realignment) of existing (original) wetland and hydrologic connection featuresReclassification of wetlands features, due to change in wetlands environment from the original classificationMovement (or shifting) of original wetland features to better match the source imageryDeletion of original wetland or hydrologic connection features due to changes in wetlands environment or inconsistency with mapping criteria.Please note that although efforts were made to be comprehensive and thorough in the evaluation and mapping of statewide wetland resources some areas of the state may have been missed. Many of the wetland and hydrologic connection features remain the same as in the original data. The polygon attribute SOURCE_SCALE may be used to identify areas that have been altered from the original wetlands. The SOURCE_SCALE code 5000 indicates an updated wetland area. The SOURCE_SCALE code 12000 indicates an unaltered, original wetland polygon.

This dataset is the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's version of the U.S. Geological Survey Digital Line Graph (DLG) 1:100,000. The DLG represents water and wetland features from USGS 30 by 60 minute quad maps.

The first basin-wide map of large stands of invasive Phragmites australis (common reed) in the coastal zone was created through a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey and Michigan Tech Research Institute (Bourgeau-Chavez et al 2013). This data set represents a revised version of that map and was created using multi-temporal PALSAR data and Landsat images from 2016-2017. In addition to Phragmites distribution, the data sets shows several land cover types including urban, agriculture, forest, shrub, emergent wetland, forested wetland, and some based on the dominant plant species (e.g., Schoenoplectus, Typha). The classified map was validated using over 400 field visits.This map covers the Green Bay peninsula and surrounding area on Lake Michigan.

The first basin-wide map of large stands of invasive Phragmites australis (common reed) in the coastal zone was created through a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey and Michigan Tech Research Institute (Bourgeau-Chavez et al 2013). This data set represents a revised version of that map and was created using multi-temporal PALSAR data and Landsat images from 2016-2017. In addition to Phragmites distribution, the data sets shows several land cover types including urban, agriculture, forest, shrub, emergent wetland, forested wetland, and some based on the dominant plant species (e.g., Schoenoplectus, Typha). The classified map was validated using over 400 field visits.This map covers the eastern portion of Lake Erie.

We created a single map of surface water presence by intersecting water classes from available land cover products (National Wetland Inventory, Gap Analysis Program, National Land Cover Database, and Dynamic Surface Water Extent) across the U.S. state of Arizona. We derived classified samples for four wetland classes from the harmonized map: water, herbaceous wetlands, wooded wetlands, and non-wetland cover. In Google Earth Engine (GEE) we developed a random forest model that combined the training data with spatially explicit predictor variables of vegetation greenness indices, wetness indices, seasonal index variation, topographic variables, and hydrologic parameters. The final product is a wall-to-wall map of general wetland types covering all of Arizona. Results show that the final model separates the four wetland classes with an overall accuracy of 86.2%. This data release comprises the raster map file (TIF format) resulting from the training data and random forest model. The ...

This U.S. Geological Survey data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for Massachusetts. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and tidal range are calculated for smaller units delineated from a digital elevation model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence wetland health. The U.S. Geological Survey has been expanding national assessment of coastal change hazards and forecast products to coastal wetlands with the intent of providing federal, state, and local managers with tools to estimate the vulnerability and ecosystem service potential of these wetlands. For this purpose, the response and resilience of coastal wetlands to physical factors need to be assessed in terms of the ensuing change to their vulnerability and ecosystem services.These USGS datasets are mirrored from the published coastal wetlands datasets on USGS ScienceBase. To download data and metadata: Ackerman, K.V., Defne, Z., and Ganju, N.K., 2021, Geospatial characterization of salt marshes for Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P97E086F.

We produced a series of maps of moist soil seed plants within managed wetlands in the Central Valley of California from 2007-2011 & 2013-2017. Moist soil seed plants, such as swamp timothy (Crypsis schoenoides) and watergrass (Echinochloa crusgallim), are a critical food source for migratory birds. For each of the Moist Soil Seed maps from 2007 to 2017, we mapped productivity of swamp timothy where swamp timothy was mapped according to a multiple regression of the average log seed head weight per Landsat pixel to Landsat derived values for green chlorophyll index (NIR/green - 1), swir1 reflectance, red green simple ratio (red/green) and SSURGO derived percent clay (STprod). For areas mapped as watergrass, we mapped the green chlorophyll index as an indicator of productivity (WGprod). The final maps show the productivity and extent of two dominant moist soil seed plants within managed wetlands in the Central Valley of California.

The Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program administered by the NRCS. It provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture. For a site to be a wetland eligible for restoration, it must be in a zone with sustained or frequent flooding for a period of 7 consecutive days on average at least once every 2 years (a value termed the 7MQ2). This study calculated the 7MQ2 flows for all the U.S. Geological Survey streamgages within the selected study reaches. These flows were related to the stage discharge tables for each streamgage and a corresponding elevation was determined. By use of the water-surface elevations (“inundation elevations”) along the rivers, an approximate extent of potential wetland for a restoration in agricultural land can be mapped. As part of the study, a set of maps representing the estimated potential wetland extents for each study reach was generated in a geographic information system (GIS) application by combining (1) a digital water-surface plane representing the surface of inundation elevation that sloped in the downstream direction of flow and (2) land-surface elevation data. The map products from this study will aid the NRCS and its partners with the onsite inundation-zone verification in agricultural land for a potential restoration.