Phragmites australis, an invasive species of plant called common reed, grows rapidly into dense stands of tall plants that pose an extreme threat to Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Early treatment is the key to controlling Phragmites.
But how can these invasive reeds be eradicated before they take over their environment if we don’t know where they are?
Now we do know, thanks to scientists from Michigan Technological University’s Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), the US Geological Survey (USGS), Boston College and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). They mapped the US coastline of all five Great Lakes using satellite technologies. Combined with field studies along those coastlines to confirm the satellite data, the map shows the locations of large stands of the invasive Phragmites located within 6.2 miles of the water’s edge.
The results of their three-year study are reported in a special issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research focusing on remote sensing.
For the full story, see http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2012/december/story82568.html
To read the journal article, seemtu.edu/news/files/phragmites.pdf
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