Quantifying the performance of automated GIS-based geomorphological approaches for riparian zone delineation using digital elevation models

Fernández, Daniel Méndez; Barquín, José; Álvarez‐Cabria, Mario; Peñas, Francisco J.

doi:10.5194/hess-16-3851-2012

Cited by 27 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In relation to the vegetation, the Atlantic area is characterized by Eurosiberian vegetation. The riparian forests are dominated by oceanic alder groves ( Alnus glutinosa ) from almost sea level up to 700 m and Salix atrocinerea , which replace the former after any disturbance, when soils are not deep enough or if there are large flow fluctuations (Fernández, Barquín, Álvarez‐Cabria, & Peñas, ). At a higher altitude, ashes ( Fraxinus excelsior ) or hazelnuts ( Corylus avellana ) commonly dominate riparian forests, while in steep valleys and uplands, beech ( Fagus sylvatica ), oaks ( Quercus robur ) and mixed Atlantic forest predominate (Lara, Garilleti, & Calleja, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The methodology followed in this work can be split in two main blocks: (a) building the riparian forest maps following Fernández et al () for delimiting riparian zones and Álvarez‐Martínez et al, () for vegetation mapping, and (b) determining the drivers of their spatial patterns using a Random Forest algorithm (RF; Breiman, ) (Figure ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, a geomorphological criterion based on the surface that intersects valley walls at a height of n times the river bank full depth (BFD) was applied to delimit the riparian zone. Other studies in the region pointed to values of 0.5–1.25 BFD (Fernández et al, ) as the best fit for delimiting 50‐year floods, an optimal hydrological descriptor for riparian areas because it roughly corresponds with the first terrace or other upward‐sloping surface (Ilhardt, Verry, & Palik, ). However, a height of 5 BFD was selected in this study in order to incorporate the Cuaternarian alluvial terraces of open valleys.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling riparian forest distribution and composition to entire river networks

Pérez‐Silos

Álvarez‐Martínez

Barquín

2019

Applied Vegetation Science

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Aim: Developing a methodology to map the distribution of riparian forests to entire river networks and determining the main environmental factors controlling their spatial patterns. Location: Cantabrian region, northern Spain. Methods: We mapped the riparian forests at a physiognomic and phytosociological level by delimiting riparian zones and generating vegetation distribution models based on remote sensing data (Landsat 8 OLI and LiDAR PNOA). We built virtual watersheds to define a spatial framework where the catchment environmental information can be specified for each river reach, in combination with the vegetation map. In order to determine the drivers that play a significant role in the observed spatial patterns in riparian forests, based on our data sets we modelled interactions between environmental information and riparian vegetation by using the Random Forest algorithm. Results: The modelling results obtained reliably reproduced the variation of riparian forest structure and composition across Cantabrian watersheds. The produced maps were highly accurate, with a more than 70% overall accuracy for forest occurrence. A clear differentiation between Eurosiberian (habitats 91E0 and 9160) and Mediterranean (92E0) riparian forests was shown on both sides of the mountain range. Topography and land use were the main drivers defining the distribution of riparian forest as a physiognomic unit. In turn, altitude, climate and percentage of pasture were the most relevant factors determining their composition (phytosociological approach). Conclusions: Our study confirms that anthropic control ultimately defines the distribution of vegetation in the riparian area at a regional to local scale. Human disturbances constrain the extension of forest patches across their potential distribution defined by topoclimatic boundaries, which establish a clear limit between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian biogeographical regions.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling riparian forest distribution and composition to entire river networks

Pérez‐Silos

Álvarez‐Martínez

Barquín

2019

Applied Vegetation Science

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“… Topography: Catchment area, slope, elevation, order, distance from river reach to river mouth and valley floor width derived from the 25‐m DEM. In the case of valley floor width, valley width at a height of five times the bankfull depth elevation above the channel was used as an approximation of the actual valley width (for more information see: Fernandez et al., ). Climate: Temperature was derived from monthly averages calculated in a 1 km grid map by means of interpolation procedure based on data recorded in more than 5000 weather stations of the Spanish network. These data were originally developed to be implemented into the Integrated System for Rainfall‐Runoff modelling (in Spanish SIMPA model; Estrela and Quintas, ) by the Centre for Hydrographic Studies (CEDEX, Ministry of Public works and Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Spain) for the assessment of water resources in natural regime at a national level. Hydrologic: Four hydrologic variables were calculated, referring to frequency and magnitude events (Table ; Hydrologic).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other land cover variables (agricultural and urban areas) were considered in an indirect way in the analysis of pressures explained above. Geology: The average rock hardness and conductivity were derived from the litostatigraphic and permeability map at scale 1 : 200 000 developed by the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain. These variables were calculated using procedures described elsewhere (Snelder et al., ; Fernandez et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of habitat models to predict fish distributions in several watersheds of Northern Spain

2016

Self Cite

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Summary Species distribution models and consensus models allow knowing the distribution of species in large areas where there is no field data and identifying the most important drivers for those distributions. In this study, seven individual models were used to obtain a consensus model to determine the potential distribution for six freshwater fish species in several watersheds of Northern Spain. Moreover, three different methods of model evaluation were used for performance comparison. Fish data were obtained from databases provided by different organisms related to aquatic systems containing information on 759 field sites sampled between October 2002 and June 2011 using electrofishing techniques. Dependent variables were obtained after filtering field sites according to a human pressure gradient analysis, while independent variables were derived from a Synthetic River Network for the study area. The ‘best’ individual models were obtained using Random Forest, Generalized Boosted Models and Generalized Additive Models, but with differing results among species and evaluation methods. The different consensus models revealed a high degree of adjustment between modelled and observed data. The most important factors related to fish distributions were the width of the valley floor, mean annual flow, average catchment elevation, distance to the sea, and total catchment area. The importance and critical limits of presence‐absence for these key variables differed among species. Use of these models could assist in the prioritization and selection of specific catchment and river reach actions for fish population management, restoration and/or conservation.

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Cost of riparian buffer zones: A comparison of hydrologically adapted site‐specific riparian buffers with traditional fixed widths

Tiwari

Lundström

Kuglerová

et al. 2016

Water Resources Research

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Traditional approaches aiming at protecting surface waters from the negative impacts of forestry often focus on retaining fixed width buffer zones around waterways. While this method is relatively simple to design and implement, it has been criticized for ignoring the spatial heterogeneity of biogeochemical processes and biodiversity in the riparian zone. Alternatively, a variable width buffer zone adapted to site-specific hydrological conditions has been suggested to improve the protection of biogeochemical and ecological functions of the riparian zone. However, little is known about the monetary value of maintaining hydrologically adapted buffer zones compared to the traditionally used fixed width ones. In this study, we created a hydrologically adapted buffer zone by identifying wet areas and groundwater discharge hotspots in the riparian zone. The opportunity cost of the hydrologically adapted riparian buffer zones was then compared to that of the fixed width zones in a meso-scale boreal catchment to determine the most economical option of designing riparian buffers. The results show that hydrologically adapted buffer zones were cheaper per hectare than the fixed width ones when comparing the total cost. This was because the hydrologically adapted buffers included more wetlands and low productive forest areas than the fixed widths. As such, the hydrologically adapted buffer zones allows more effective protection of the parts of the riparian zones that are ecologically and biogeochemically important and more sensitive to disturbances without forest landowners incurring any additional cost than fixed width buffers.

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Quantifying the performance of automated GIS-based geomorphological approaches for riparian zone delineation using digital elevation models

Cited by 27 publications

References 36 publications

Modelling riparian forest distribution and composition to entire river networks

Modelling riparian forest distribution and composition to entire river networks

Integration of habitat models to predict fish distributions in several watersheds of Northern Spain

Cost of riparian buffer zones: A comparison of hydrologically adapted site‐specific riparian buffers with traditional fixed widths

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