Wetlands as large-scale nature-based solutions: Status and challenges for research, engineering and management

Thorslund, Josefin; Jarsjö, Jerker; Jaramillo, Fernando; Jawitz, James W.; Manzoni, Stefano; Basu, N. B.; Chalov, Sergey; Cohen, Matthew J.; Creed, Irena F.; Goldenberg, Romain; Hylin, Anna; Kalantari, Zahra; Koussis, Antonis D.; Lyon, Steve W.; Mazi, Katerina; Mård, Johanna; Persson, Klas; Pietro, Jan; Prieto, Carmen; Quin, Andrew; Meter, K. J. Van; Destouni, Georgia

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.07.012

Cited by 253 publications

(184 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…impact, restoration and conservation (Freeman et al 2007, Quin et al 2015, Van Meter and Basu 2015, Thorslund et al 2017. Alteration in wetland connectivity is one of the major causes of wetland degradation globally (Jimenez et al 1985) and combined with macroclimatic changes, it can pose a highly detrimental threat to these ecosystems (Blanco et al 2006, Osland et al 2016.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of hydrologic connectivity in an ungauged wetland with InSAR observations

Jaramillo

Brown

Castellazzi

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM) is one of the world's most productive tropical wetlands and one that has witnessed some of the greatest recorded dieback of mangroves. Human-driven loss of hydrologic connectivity by roads, artificial channels and water flow regulation appears to be the reason behind mangrove mortality in this ungauged wetland. In this study, we determined the CGSM's current state of hydrologic connectivity by combining a remote sensing technique, termed as Wetland Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), with a hydrologic study of river water discharge. For this research, we processed 29 ALOS-PALSAR acquisitions taken during the period 2007-2011 and generated 66 interferograms that provide information on relative surface water level changes. We found that change in water discharge upstream on the main tributary of the CGSM could explain at most 17% of the variance of the change in water level in the CGSM. Fresh water inputs into the wetland were identified only when the mean daily water discharge in the river exceeded 700 m 3 s −1 , which corresponds to only 30% of the days during the period. The interferogram analysis also revealed that artificial channels within the wetland serve as barriers to water flow and contribute to the overall loss in hydrologic connectivity. We recommend increasing fresh water inputs from the Magdalena River by reducing water regulation of fresh water from the river and improving connectivity on either side of the artificial channels crossing the CGSM. This study emphasizes the potential of the application of wetland InSAR to determine hydrologic connectivity in wetlands that are completely or poorly ungauged and to define the necessary guidelines for wetland hydrologic restoration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of hydrologic connectivity in an ungauged wetland with InSAR observations

Jaramillo

Brown

Castellazzi

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…State and non-profit organizations are beginning to deploy nature-based solutions such as wetlands and floodplains to mitigate P export in freshwater bodies (Bertule et al 2014, Liquete et al 2016, Thorslund et al 2017. Here, the underlying assumption is that the natural form and functions of restored wetlands will retain nutrients and improve water quality (see, Thorslund et al 2017). Despite the range of ecosystem services provided by wetlands (Zedler 2003, Watson et al 2016 and ongoing wetland restoration efforts, wetland areas have been declining globally due to anthropogenic alterations (Moreno-Mateos et al 2012, Serran et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing wetland restoration to improve water quality at a regional scale

Singh

Gourevitch

Wemple

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Excessive phosphorus (P) export to aquatic ecosystems can lead to impaired water quality. There is a growing interest among watershed managers in using restored wetlands to retain P from agricultural landscapes and improve water quality. We develop a novel framework for prioritizing wetland restoration at a regional scale. The framework uses an ecosystem service model and an optimization algorithm that maximizes P reduction for given levels of restoration cost. Applying our framework in the Lake Champlain Basin, we find that wetland restoration can reduce P export by 2.6% for a budget of $50 M and 5.1% for a budget of $200 M. Sensitivity analysis shows that using finer spatial resolution data for P sources results in twice the P reduction benefits at a similar cost by capturing hot-spots on the landscape. We identify 890 wetlands that occur in more than 75% of all optimal scenarios and represent priorities for restoration. Most of these wetlands are smaller than 7 ha with contributing area less than 100 ha and are located within 200 m of streams. Our approach provides a simple yet robust tool for targeting restoration efforts at regional scales and is readily adaptable to other restoration strategies.

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“…The aim of our study was to develop an integrated framework to improve habitat suitability evaluation for amphibian populations in a wetlandscape. Wetlandscapes are defined as multiple wetlands that present biotic and abiotic connections within an associated hydrological catchment larger in area than that of individual wetlands (Thorslund et al 2017). We demonstrate the framework in the wetlandscape of the Nose Creek watershed in Alberta, Canada, selecting two amphibian species: the Northern Leopard Frog (NLF) (Rana pipiens) and the Great Plains Toad (GPT) (Anaxyrus cognatus).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safeguarding Wetlands and Their Connections within Wetlandscapes to Improve Conservation Outcomes for Threatened Amphibian Species

Zaffaroni

Zamberletti

Creed

et al. 2019

J American Water Resour Assoc

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Wetlands should not be considered as independent objects but as dynamically connected objects, collectively known as wetlandscapes. We developed a framework that analyzes the influences of wetland suitability and connectivity on amphibian distributions. We defined two indices: a Wetland Suitability Index describing wetland quality and a Movement Permeability Index characterizing wetland connectivity for amphibian population dynamics. These indices were calculated from raster datasets and time‐varying inundation estimates. The indices were used to define a wetlandscape and an amphibian model was used to simulate population dynamics within the wetlandscape. The framework was applied to the Nose Creek watershed, a highly modified wetlandscape in Alberta, Canada. Two amphibian species were selected with different habitat preferences: the Northern Leopard Frog that prefers wet habitats and has high mobility over land, and the Great Plains Toad that prefers terrestrial habitats and has low mobility over land. We found each amphibian species had a “preferred” wetlandscape, reflecting their life cycle traits and migration strategies which in turn were dependent on the hydrological and ecological connections within the wetlandscape. This study highlights the importance of investigating both individual wetlands and the wetlandscape and considering both wetland habitat quality and connectivity as non‐substitutable properties that act jointly, but differently, on population dynamics.

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Wetlands as large-scale nature-based solutions: Status and challenges for research, engineering and management

Abstract: 2017-08-25T16:31:17

Cited by 253 publications

References 54 publications

Assessment of hydrologic connectivity in an ungauged wetland with InSAR observations

Assessment of hydrologic connectivity in an ungauged wetland with InSAR observations

Optimizing wetland restoration to improve water quality at a regional scale

Safeguarding Wetlands and Their Connections within Wetlandscapes to Improve Conservation Outcomes for Threatened Amphibian Species

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