Fluorescent bands of color outline the Great Lakes on a new, comprehensive map of the region’s coastal wetlands. This publicly available map is the first of its kind on such a broad scale — and the only one to trump political boundaries. Both Canadian and US wetlands are shown along more than 10,000 miles of shoreline. – http://geodjango.mtri.org/coastal-wetlands/
The Great Lakes is an important focus of Michigan Technological University research. The coastal wetlands map is an extension of that focus, expanding on previous maps created through the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI).
Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, MTRI research scientist and the project leader for the wetlands map, says establishing standard methods was crucial. “This is the first map to span the entire basin, and it’s important to have a consistent map over the entire area,” she says, explaining that inconsistencies impact data analysis and implementation of management strategies “if you don’t know the accuracy of the map or how it’s changing from one place to another.”
And wetlands are dynamic systems — there is a lot of change naturally happening, although most comes from humans. “We’ve lost more than 50 percent of coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes over the past century,” Bourgeau-Chavez says. “The wetlands are very important because they serve as filtration as well as habitat — and a lot of them are being degraded.”
For the full story, see http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2015/march/mapping-great-lakes-wetlands.html.
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