Classification of Water Areas within the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System Using Thematic Mapper 5 Imagery |
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Yvonne C. Allen(1), Brady R. Couvillion(1), and Glenn C. Constant(2)
(1)U. S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, Coastal Restoration Field Station, Parker Coliseum, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
(2)U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Baton Rouge Field Office, Parker Coliseum, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Abstract
Within the ABFS, there is a complicated structure of lakes, rivers, canals, and spoil banks that have formed by natural or made‐made processes. The distribution and quality of water within each water management unit (WMU) is generally driven by water level and condition found in the main river channels flowing through the ABFS, but fluctuating river levels can result in very different patterns of water distribution among the WMUs. River level gages have been established at many locations throughout the basin but for practical and economic reasons, most of the gages are located along main river channels and bayous. Very little to no synoptic information has been available regarding the distribution and character of water away from these well traveled routes.
The amount, quality, duration, and flow rate of water in large part define the flora and fauna that are able to occupy the habitats throughout the basin. It is therefore critical to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of water distribution patterns within each WMU with changing river levels. As a first step toward describing water distribution on a basin‐wide scale, we chose to use existing Thematic Mapper 5 (TM) imagery to determine the distribution of land, water and turbid water through time and at a variety of river stages. Under ideal conditions, satellite imagery can give a whole‐basin snapshot of water distribution at a single point in time.
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