Forested Wetland Hydrology in a Large Mississippi River Tributary System
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GENERAL WETLAND SCIENCE
Forested Wetland Hydrology in a Large Mississippi River Tributary System Jacob F. Berkowitz 1
&
David R. Johnson 2 & Jaybus J. Price 1
Received: 2 June 2019 / Accepted: 13 November 2019 # The Author(s) 2019
Abstract Wetlands in the Mississippi River Valley provide numerous functions supported by prolonged periods of soil saturation or inundation. However, few studies document forested wetland hydropatterns, especially in altered systems. In this study, we evaluated hydrologic drivers of forested wetlands in the Yazoo Basin, a large Mississippi River tributary system exhibiting regional hydrologic alteration. Results from 56 water table monitoring locations indicate that precipitation induced the majority (76%) of wetland saturation events, defined as soil inundation or water tables within ≤30 cm of the surface for ≥14 consecutive days. Flooding triggered 19% of saturation events, and 5% of events occurred in response to precipitation induced high water tables followed by flood inundation. Data suggest that most wetlands examined (87%) would persist in the absence of flooding, and that duration and inundation patterns differed with dominant water source. A multi-year hydropattern analysis highlights the influence of precipitation derived saturation during low evapotranspiration winter periods, spring flood water contributions in some wetlands, and decreasing water tables throughout summer and fall. A discussion of rainfall normality and stream discharge places the dataset in a larger context. Results reflect changes in historic hydropatterns, informing efforts to maximize wetland functions during forested wetland management and restoration. Keywords Wetland hydrology . Flood control . Hydropatterns . Forested wetland . Yazoo Basin . Mississippi River
Introduction Forested wetlands within the Mississippi River alluvial valley provide a variety of wetland functions including maintenance of faunal and floral habitats, detention and storage of precipitation and floodwater, and biogeochemical cycling of nutrients (Smith and Klimas 2002). These functions result in flood risk reduction, water quality improvements, and recreational opportunities that benefit society. Historically, more than 10 million ha of forested wetlands extended from the mouth of the Ohio River to the Gulf of Mexico (King et al. 2006). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-019-01249-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Jacob F. Berkowitz [email protected] 1
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MS, USA
2
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, Vicksburg, MS, USA
Landscape alterations decreased the forested wetland extent by 75%, largely through conversion of forested wetland habitats to agricultural lands and the implementation of extensive flood control projects (The Nature Conservancy 1992). Many studies in the region investigate the capacity of
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