Abstract:

Within estuaries along the Texas coast, wetland coverage and bathymetry were computed. Ultimately eight major river estuaries were analyzed: Sabine Lake, Galveston, Matagorda, San Antonio, Aransas, Corpus Christi, Upper Laguna Madre, and Lower Laguna Madre. For these eight estuaries, the area of various wetland habitats (saltwater marsh, mangrove, freshwater marsh, swamp, oyster, seagrass, and tidal flat) was determined using National Wetland Inventory (NWI) data. Additionally, water volume for both present-day conditions and projected 2100 scenarios under the intermediate-low Global Mean Sea Level Rise (GMSLR) was calculated, with the assumption of 0.5 meters by 2100. Further analysis targeted three estuaries (Sabine-Neches, Lavaca-Colorado, and Nueces) distributed across the upper, middle, and lower Texas coast. Utilizing historical wetland data from the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) spanning three time periods (1950s, 1970s – 1980s, and 2000s), the spatial and temporal changes in wetland habitat coverage were assessed.

Suggested Citation:

Magolan, Jessica, Pu Huang, and James Gibeaut. 2024. Analyzing multi-temporal wetland habitat coverage and modeling present and future bathymetry conditions in Texas estuaries. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/kqmedfbp

Purpose:

This dataset originated from the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) to present the data featured in the following book chapter: “Gibeaut, J., Magolan, J., Huang, P., & Montagna, P.A. Coastal Wetland Habitats in Texas. In P.A. Montagna & A.R. Douglas (Eds.), Freshwater Inflows to Texas Bays and Estuaries: A Regional-Scale Review, Synthesis, and Recommendations. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland (In Preparation)”. This chapter investigated the correlation between freshwater inflow and Texas wetland habitats. The Texas coast exhibits a climatic gradient, witnessing a decrease in rainfall and inflow from the northeast to the southwest. This gradient influences the distribution of freshwater-dependent habitats like saltwater marsh, which diminishes, while freshwater-sensitive habitats such as seagrass and tidal flats increase under drier conditions. Within this data package, the area of diverse wetland habitats (saltwater marsh, mangrove, freshwater marsh, swamp, oyster, seagrass, and tidal flat) was quantified in eight major river estuaries (Sabine Lake, Galveston, Matagorda, San Antonio, Aransas, Corpus Christi, Upper Laguna Madre, and Lower Laguna Madre). Our aim was to depict variations in wetland species abundance along the Texas coast. Further, an estuary’s freshwater inflow regime is expressed as the annual volume of freshwater flowing into an estuary (ac-ft/y) divided by the estuary volume (ac-ft). For the aforementioned river estuaries, bathy-dems and calculated water volumes for both current conditions and the projected 2100 Global Mean Sea Level Rise (GMSLR) int-low scenario were generated, assuming a 0.5m GMSLR by 2100. Within this data package, we quantified the area of diverse wetland habitats (saltwater marsh, mangrove, freshwater marsh, swamp, oyster, seagrass, and tidal flat) in eight major river estuaries (Sabine Lake, Galveston, Matagorda, San Antonio, Aransas, Corpus Christi, Upper Laguna Madre, and Lower Laguna Madre). Our aim is to depict variations in wetland species abundance along the Texas coast. Further, an estuary’s freshwater inflow regime is expressed as the annual volume of freshwater flowing into an estuary (ac-ft/y) divided by the estuary volume (ac-ft). For the aforementioned river estuaries, we generated bathy-dems and calculated water volumes for both current conditions and the projected 2100 Global Mean Sea Level Rise (GMSLR) int-low scenario, assuming a 0.5m GMSLR by 2100.

Data Parameters and Units:

The wetland classifications mapped consist of saltwater marsh, mangrove, oyster, seagrass, tidal flat, freshwater marsh, and swamp. Shape_Length – perimeter of feature in meters. Shape_Area - perimeter of feature in square meters The bathymetry rasters of the estuaries indicate the elevation of both water and land, with a unit of meters. The water volume result tables record both 2D and 3D area of the estuaries in square meters, and water volume of the estuaries in cubic meters. Z_factor - A conversion factor that adjusts the units of measure for the vertical (elevation or z) when they are different from the horizontal (x and y). As units of measure in this analysis are both in meters, the z_factor is 1. Area_2D - area in square meters. Area_3D - curved surface area in square meters. Volume - volume in m^3.

Methods:

A detailed description of the methods is available within the data package, however, a brief overview is presented here. Utilizing National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) data, seven wetland habitats (saltwater marsh, mangrove, tidal freshwater marsh, tidal swamp, oyster, seagrass, and tidal flats) within eight estuaries of interest were determined. Additionally, an ADCIRC inundation mesh was employed to generate a bathy-DEM with 115 m resolution for present-day and the GMSLR 2100 int-low scenario. The bathy-DEMs were summarized by the eight estuaries and water-volume calculations were conducted. Additionally, Historic Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) data over three time periods were downloaded and determined for three study areas to assess how the seven habitats of interest (saltwater marsh, mangrove, tidal freshwater marsh, tidal swamp, oyster, seagrass, and tidal flats) have changed spatially and temporally.

Provenance and Historical References:

Anson K, Arnold W, Banks P, Berrigan M, Pollack J, Randall B, Reed D. 2011. Eastern Oyster In Gulf of Mexico Data Atlas. Stennis Space Center (MS): National Centers for Environmental Information. Available from: Home | Gulf of Mexico Data Atlas . Accessed 8/30/2023. Retrieved from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/waf/data-atlas-waf/living-marine/documents/Oysters_TX_2011.zip Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). 2002. Matagorda Bay to San Antonio Bay – Status and Trends of Inland Wetland and Aquatic Habitats. Accessed 12/1/2022. Retrieved from Matagorda Bay to San Antonio Bay | Bureau of Economic Geology Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). 2006. Coastal Bend Area – Status and Trends of Inland Wetland and Aquatic Habitats. Accessed 12/1/2022. Retrieved from Coastal Bend Area | Bureau of Economic Geology Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). 2007. Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). 2008. Corpus Christi and Aransas Bays Area – Status and Trends of Inland Wetland and Aquatic Habitats. Accessed 12/1/2022. Retrieved from Corpus Christi and Aransas Bays Area | Bureau of Economic Geology Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). 2009. Beaumont-Port Arthura Area – Status and Trends of Inland Wetland and Aquatic Habitats. Accessed 12/1/2022. Retrieved from Beaumont-Port Arthur Area | Bureau of Economic Geology Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). 2010. Matagorda Bay – Status and Trends of Inland Wetland and Aquatic Habitats. Accessed 12/1/2022. Retrieved from Matagorda Bay | Bureau of Economic Geology Gibeaut, J., Magolan, J., Huang, P., & Montagna, P.A. Coastal Wetland Habitats in Texas. In P.A. Montagna & A.R. Douglas (Eds.), Freshwater Inflows to Texas Bays and Estuaries: A Regional-Scale Review, Synthesis, and Recommendations. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland (In Preparation) National Wetlands Invetory. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. Accessed 11/18/2022. Retrieved from: Download Seamless Wetlands Data by State | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Su, Lihong, Mukesh Subedee, Marissa Dotson, James Gibeaut, Brach Lupher, Anthony Reisinger, and Rhiannon Bezore. 2021. 2-meter Topographic Lidar Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the Lower Texas Coast. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/Z7WG9EGN Su, Lihong, Mukesh Subedee, Marissa Dotson, James Gibeaut, Brach Lupher, Anthony Reisinger, and Rhiannon Bezore. 2021. 2-meter Topographic Lidar Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the Upper Texas Coast. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/2MYPTJ7Y The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2011. ADCIRC nc_inundation_v6c.grd. Accessed in 2022. Retrieved from Grids U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2020. Upper Coast Strandplain-Chenier System and Southern Coast Padre Island National Seashore – Status and Trends of Inland Wetland and Aquatic Habitats. Accessed 12/1/2022. Retrieved from Upper Coast Strandplain-Chenier System and Southern Coast Padre Island National Seashore | Bureau of Economic Geology U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 2023. USGS National Hydrography Dataset Best Resolution (NHD) - Texas. Accessed 2/24/2023. Retrieved from The National Map Extent: 1950-01-01 – 2100-01-01

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