Landscape Structure of a Wetland: Tidal Creeks, Creek Networks and Habitat Distribution, Andros Island, Bahamas

Tidal wetlands are very dynamic and vulnerable environments impacted a mix of
biological and physical controls that operate across a range of spatial and
temporal scales. Instead of attempting to isolate and evaluate the
characteristics of individual processes active in such coastal environments,
the focus of this study was a quantitative characterization of the spatial
anatomy of a Bahamian tidal wetland system, exploring geomorphic and ecologic
patterns caused by complex interactions of individual components of the
ecohydrologic system. Integrating high-resolution remote sensing data and field
observations in a GIS facilitated the quantification of habitat and tidal creek
network patterns. The quantitative results illustrate 1) the size-frequency
distribution of habitats follows a power-law relationship; 2) the lengths of
tidal creeks have a size-frequency distribution best characterized by an
exponential distribution; 3) the structure of creek networks exhibit scaling
patterns similar to those documented in fluvial systems, and active networks
are less ordered than inactive, stabilized networks; and 4) the distribution
and abundance of habitats are linked systematically and quantitatively to the
characteristics of the associated creeks and networks. In the landscape-scale
anatomy of these tidal wetlands, tidal creek networks form a 'skeleton' that is
'fleshed out' by the habitats. In this manner, the cumulative effects of these
processes can be summarized by a few relatively simple relational 'rules of
landscape heterogeneity.'

Geomorphic interpretation suggests that the statistically well-ordered spatial
configuration is due to linkages and feedbacks between patterns and processes
within the wetland system between creeks and habitats, and may be the result of
chaotic system dynamics. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively
characterize creeks, creek networks, and habitat distribution of wetlands of
part of western Andros Island, Bahamas, using remote sensing and GIS to explore
patterns in creeks and associated habitats.
Spatial Reference Information - Horizontal
Coordinate System Definition - Geodetic Model: