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- Info
Temporal changes of wetlands within an urbanizing agricultural landscape
| Author: |
Thibault, P.A. and W.C. Zipperer |
| Date: |
1994 |
| Periodical: |
Landscape and Urban Planning |
| Abstract: |
We used aerial photographs from 1926, 1964, and 1988 to map wetlands within a 36 km Z area adjacent to Syracuse, NY. During this 63 year period, land use shifted from an intensively managed agricultural landscape to an urban landscape. We documented temporal changes in the number, total area, mean area, and vegetation cover types of wetlands. The number of wetlands increased from 33 in 1926 to 38 in 1964 and then declined to 31 in 1988. The total area increased from 113 ha in 1926 to 312 ha in 1964 and then declined to 150 ha in 1988. Likewise, the mean area increased from 3.4 to 8.2 ha in 1964, and then declined to 4.8 ha in 1988. Of the original 33 wetlands mapped in 1926, 19 existed in 1964 and 1 I existed in 1988. A comparison of the size distribution of wetlands in 1926 with that in 1988 showed an increase in the number of large wetlands (over 5 ha). Over the 63 year period, the dominant vegetation cover type shifted from forest in 1926 to scrub-shrub and emergent in 1964 to emergent and forest in 1988. The study points out the importance of multiple-sampling years for detecting temporal changes in wetlands during shifts in land use. |
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