Examining the relationship between wetland alteration and watershed flooding in Texas and Florida

Abstract

Inland flooding remains one of the greatest threats to the safety of human population in the United States (US). While few large-scale studies exist, the potential role of naturally occurring wetlands in mitigating flood duration and intensity has been widely discussed. This study examines the relationship between wetland alteration and coastal watershed flooding in Texas and Florida over a 12-year period. Specifically, we geo-reference wetland alteration permits required under Section 404 of the US Clean Water Act and correlate the number of granted permits with the degree of flooding measured by stream gauge data. Results indicate that specific types of federal permits exacerbate flooding events in coastal watersheds while controlling for various environmental and socioeconomic characteristics.

Urbanization Effects on Watershed Hydrology and In-Stream Processes in the Southern United States

“…Most urban runoff studies in the southern U.S. have focused on the hydrological response to increased impervious area (Table 1), but many recent studies have focused on the hydrological response to parameters such as wetland extent and alteration, tree cover, style of development, and connectivity of impervious area. In FL and TX, Brody et al (2007) showed that the degree of wetland alteration (as indicated by the number of wetland permits) in a watershed may also alter a stream's hydrological response to rainfall and can contribute to increased flood frequency [50]. Wang et al (2008) evaluated the importance of urban tree cover on peakflows [31].…”

Examining Vulnerability Factors to Natural Disasters with a Spatial Autoregressive Model: The Case of South Korea

“…Among the various vulnerability studies to natural disasters worldwide, this study summarized social (demographic and economic aspect) and physical (natural and build environment aspect) vulnerability indicators from representative studies in the United States, South Korea, China, India, Nigeria, and Germany in Table 1 [2,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Demographic and economic characteristics of communities effectively represent social vulnerability in each country [1,2].…”

“…Demographic and economic characteristics of communities effectively represent social vulnerability in each country [1,2]. From previous studies, demographic indicators can be categorized into Age, Minority, Gender, Population, Education, and Household [2,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. The ratio of elderly and younger people are representatives of Age; foreigners and ethnic minorities represent Minority; the sex ratio indicates Gender; the number of dwellings, migration, population density, and growth rate are related to Population; education level, illiteracy rate, and awareness and perception of hazards are connected to Education; and household types (rental, female-only, underground, apartment), living space, and household size comprise Household.…”

“…The ratio of elderly and younger people are representatives of Age; foreigners and ethnic minorities represent Minority; the sex ratio indicates Gender; the number of dwellings, migration, population density, and growth rate are related to Population; education level, illiteracy rate, and awareness and perception of hazards are connected to Education; and household types (rental, female-only, underground, apartment), living space, and household size comprise Household. Economic aspects are classified as Income, Social capital, and Business [2,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. The indicators poverty, unemployment rate, household income, household assets, GDP, income of rural households, savings, and distribution of wealth comprise Income; Public assistance, property tax, investments, medical services, budget, subsidies, and resources for disaster prevention, relief, and assistance represent Social capital.…”

Hazard Mitigation Element Quality in Coastal Comprehensive Plans in a State with Strong Requirements for Hazard Mitigation Plan Elements

“…Significantly, hazard vulnerability increases as more people move into areas at risk for disasters and modify the environment. Activities such as paving over permeable surfaces that can absorb floodwaters, and removing mangrove forests that can buffer coasts from storms, increases hazard vulnerability (Brody, Highfield, Ryu, & Spanel-Weber, 2007;Skertchly & Skertchley, 2001;Wahlstrom, 2007;Wisner, Blaikie, Cannon, & Davis, 2004). One of the first authors to remark on the conflict between development and nature was Gilbert…”