HR: 0800h
AN: B41A-0176    [Abstracts]
TI: The Hydropatterns of the Florida Everglades: Mapping Flooding Using MODIS
AU: * Ordoyne, C
EM: cordoyne@bu.edu
AF: Department of Geography & Environment, Boston University 675 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AU: Friedl, M
EM: friedl@bu.edu
AF: Department of Geography & Environment, Boston University 675 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AB: Determining the spatial distribution and timing of flooding in the world's major wetlands would be highly valuable for global methane models, water management, and biodiversity assessments. The Florida Everglades complex is one of the largest wetlands in the US, and is subject to substantial development and water scarcity pressures that require intensive hydrological modeling and monitoring. MODIS is a high-quality daily-repeat sensor with underutilized potential for mapping wetlands at moderate resolutions. We calibrated our model using water stage data from the South Florida Water Management District for the calendar year 2004, and found that hydropatterns in the Florida Everglades are strongly correlated to a Tasseled Cap wetness index of MODIS Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance data. Although we tested several indexes, including NDWI and a land-surface temperature index, the Tasseled Cap Wetness index showed the closest correlation to the annual hydrographs across a range of surface vegetation types. Other factors incorporated into our model included elevation, fire events, and continuous tree cover percent within a pixel. Our results suggest that MODIS may be useful for dynamic monitoring of flooding, particularly in areas with sparse tree cover. Future work will focus on exploring the utility of this approach in other types of wetlands around the world.
DE: 0466 Modeling
DE: 0480 Remote sensing
DE: 0497 Wetlands (1890)
DE: 1655 Water cycles (1836)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005