Hurricane Sandy: 2013 NWI Data of Selected USFWS Coastal Barrier Resource Act (CBRA) Units along Long Island, New York

Hurricane Sandy directly hit the Atlantic shoreline of New Jersey during several astronomical high tide cycles in late October, 2012. The eastern seaboard areas are subject to sea level rise and increased severity and frequency of storm events, prompting habitat and land use planning changes. Wetland Aquatic Research Center (WARC) has conducted detailed mapping of marine and estuarine wetlands and deepwater habitats, including beaches and tide flats, and upland land use/land cover, using specially-acquired aerial imagery flown at 1-meter resolution.These efforts will assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) continuing endeavors to map the barrier islands adhering to Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) guidelines. Mapped areas consist of selected federal lands including, National Park Service areas, USFWS National Wildlife Refuges, and selected CBRA Units, including barrier islands and marshes in New York and New Jersey. These vital wetland areas are important for migratory waterfowl and neotropical bird habitats, wildlife food chain support and nurseries for shellfish and finfish populations. Coastal wetlands also play an important function as storm surge buffers. This project includes mapping of dominant estuarine wetland plant species useful for wetland functional analysis and wildlife evaluation and management concerns. It also aims to integrate with and offer updated databases pertinent to: USFWS NWR and NWI programs, NOAA tide flats and beaches data, FEMA flood zone data, Natural Heritage Endangered and Threated Species, watershed management, and state and local land use planning.2012年10月下旬，飓风桑迪在多个天文大潮周期期间直接侵袭新泽西州大西洋沿岸海岸线。东海岸地区正面临海平面上升与风暴事件强度加剧、频次攀升的严峻形势，由此推动了栖息地与土地利用规划的调整。湿地水生研究中心（Wetland Aquatic Research Center, WARC）借助分辨率达1米的专项航拍影像，对海洋与河口湿地、深水栖息地（含海滩与潮间带）以及高地土地利用/土地覆被开展了精细化测绘。上述工作将为美国鱼类及野生动物管理局（U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USFWS）持续推进符合《海岸屏障资源法案》（Coastal Barrier Resources Act, CBRA）指南的屏障岛测绘工作提供助力。本次测绘覆盖选定的联邦土地范畴，包括国家公园管理局管辖区域、USFWS国家野生动物保护区，以及纽约州与新泽西州内的屏障岛、沼泽等选定CBRA单元。这些关键湿地区域对于迁徙水禽与新热带鸟类栖息地维系、野生动物食物链支撑，以及贝类和硬骨鱼类种群的繁育栖息地均具有重要价值。滨海湿地同时兼具风暴潮缓冲的关键生态功能。本项目还完成了优势河口湿地植物物种的测绘工作，可应用于湿地功能分析、野生动物评估与管理相关研究。此外，本项目旨在整合并提供与以下领域相关的更新数据库：USFWS国家野生动物保护区与国家湿地清单（National Wetlands Inventory, NWI）项目数据、美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA）潮间带与海滩数据、联邦紧急事务管理局（Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA）洪水区数据、自然遗产保护项目中的濒危与受威胁物种数据、流域管理数据，以及州级与地方土地利用规划相关数据。