MAPPING WETLAND DYNAMICS WITH RADAR REMOTE SENSING

Wetlands ecosystems provide intrinsic value to humans: they mitigate flooding, filter pollutants, and act as carbon sinks. Wetlands are also dynamic; they fill and spill, expand and contract, and connect and disconnect throughout the year. Typical wetland maps are static, unable to track this information, although it is critical for understanding and regulating these ecosystems. Funded by the NASA-Michigan Space Grant Consortium, Sean Woznicki and graduate student Jonathan Walt are using the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar satellites (SAR) to map these dynamics over time. SAR uses wavelengths within the microwave portion electromagnetic spectrum, creating images of Earth’s surface unobstructed by clouds. The portion of the radar signal that returns to the satellite, or backscatter, characterizes conditions on the Earth’s surface. Nuances in the backscatter over time and space help identify temporary open water or temporarily flooded vegetation that are characteristic of wetland dynamics.

In the coming year, Jonathan will be expanding this research to map the extent of common reed (Phragmites australis) with SAR and multispectral remote sensing. Phragmites is a rapidly-spreading invasive plant that colonizes wetland ecosystems, inhibiting their functionality. Jonathan’s research is funded in part through a Michigan Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship.

LMC Activities

Bopi Biddanda participated in the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Decadal Science Workshop held April 8^th - 9^th.

Charlyn Partridge attended a 2-hour Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Orientation on April 17^th related to her wild rice work with the Gun Lake Tribe.

Carl Ruetz attended the 2021 Southern Lake Michigan Fisheries Workshop on April 22^nd.

Al Steinman attended Board meetings (virtual) for Goodwill Industries and GoodTemps of West Michigan in April.

Al Steinman met with various Deans and Unit Heads to discuss the Fort Valley State University-GVSU agreement, and possible internship opportunities for FVSU students.

Al Steinman attended the initial meeting of the newly constituted Ottawa County Groundwater Board on April 19^th.

Al Steinman attended the initial meeting of the Ottawa County Groundwater Technical Committee on April 26^th.

Al Steinman was moderator for a panel hosted by WMEAC on climate change and restoration successes in Muskegon County on April 29^th. Rick Rediske was one of the panelists.

Amanda Syers, co-coordinator for Project WET, has been attending coordinator webinars. An upcoming workshop is being planned with the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds. There is interest from the Grand Rapids Water Treatment Plant to incorporate Project WET into their outreach.

Janet Vail has been attending a variety of webinars on topics such as environmental justice, Groundswell lessons, Earth Day, and climate change.

Janet Vail participated in a MI Corps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring training on April 29^th

Jon Walt, graduate student working with Sean Woznicki, and Sean attended the International Association for Landscape Ecology-North America chapter annual conference held from April 12^th - 15^th.

Presentations and Publications

AWRI staff are bolded, undergraduate students are denoted with a single asterisk*, graduate students are denoted with two asterisks**, and post-doc researchers are donated with three asterisks ***.

Publications

No publications this month.  Please check back next month.

Presentations - (Presenter listed first)

Haley Kuhnle, undergraduate student who worked with Carl Ruetz last summer, presented at GVSU’s annual Student Scholars Day on April 14^th. The title of her oral presentation was “Evaluating an environmental gradient along eastern Lake Michigan. Megan Mader (graduate student) and Carl Ruetz were co-authors on Haley’s presentation.

Jason Lorenz, graduate student working with Carl Ruetz, successfully defended his thesis, “Evaluation of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning success on an artificial reef constructed in the Kalamazoo River, Michigan”, on April 6th.

Emily Neuman, graduate student working with Sarah Hamsher, gave a presentation titled: “Using a random forest algorithm to predict suitable habitat for starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa)” at the 2021 virtual Northeast Algal Symposium on April 10^th. Co-authors are Sean Woznicki (AWRI), Kenneth G. Karol (NY Botanical Garden), James N. McNair (AWRI), and Sarah Hamsher (AWRI, supervisor).

Charlyn Partridge attended the virtual thesis defense of Alyssa Swinehart, graduate student working with Biology Department’s Jen Moore, on April 7^th. Charlyn is a member of Alyssa’s thesis committee.

Carl Ruetz gave the keynote address at the annual meeting of the Mississippi River Research Consortium on April 22^nd. The title of his address was “Connectivity and movement of fishes inhabiting Lake Michigan drowned river mouths.”

Jon Walt, graduate student working with Sean Woznicki, presented at the International Association for Landscape Ecology-North America chapter annual conference on April 13.  His presentation was titled: “Mapping wetland inundation dynamics with synthetic aperture radar in Google Earth engine”.

Sean Woznicki was a guest lecturer for GVSU’s Geography 470 - Digital Image Processing class on March 22^nd. His presentation was titled “Mapping water resources and landscape change with remote sensing”.

Sean Woznicki gave an invited lecture at BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Serbia on April 15^th. His presentation was titled: “Mapping floodplains, wetlands, and agricultural runoff: A geospatial perspective for preserving freshwater resources”.

Grants, Contracts, Awards, and Recognition

GRANTS & CONTRACTS

Ellen Foley, graduate student working with Al Steinman, received a grant in the amount of $1980 from the Michigan Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society for her thesis research titled “Lake responses to elevated levels of chloride and phosphorus”.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

On April 30, 2021, at the GVSU Board of Trustees Meeting, approval was granted for Emerita status for Janet Vail. Her title now is Research Scientist Emerita of the Annis Water Resources Institute.

AWRI News and Events

AWRI IN THE NEWS

“Two student grant proposals selected for funding”
Michigan Chapter, North American Lake Management Society (McNALMS), Spring 2021 Newsletter
Ellen Foley, graduate student working with Al Steinman, was awarded a grant by McNALMS for her research project titled: Lake responses to elevated levels if chloride and phosphorus.

“Lessons, successes and ideal for the future” is topic of April 29 virtual climate change panel discussion.
www.legalnews.com, April 16, 2021
Al Steinman moderated this virtual discussion on April 29.

“AWRI director featured on national television morning show for expertise on climate change and Lake Michigan erosion”
GVNext, April 22, 2021
Al Steinman was interviewed by Good Morning America’s Ginger Zee regarding climate change and Lake Michigan coastal erosion.

LMC EVENTS

There were no events held at the LMC this month.