It's Not Easy Being Green: Assessing the health of small wetland ponds

Document Type

Report

Abstract

A team of researchers from the University of Louisville are investigating different approaches for wetland assessment to inform carbon source-sink status of small ponds. Current work is focused in park areas around on Louisville, KY.

We are actively involved in collaboration with Olmsted Parks Conservancy , and in partnership with Louisville Metro Parks , Parklands of Floyds Fork , Cave Hill Cemetery , and KY state parks.

Our intent is to provide new insight into parkland management regarding small urban wetland systems, while also providing training in mapping, field techniques, sample collection, and data analysis to both undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Louisville. Additionally, our work involves a community science piece to compare varying perspectives of what a "healthy" wetland should look like.

We will use of high resolution remotely sensed data combined with field sampling techniques to determine wetland plant community composition, GHG source-sink status, and better targeting of wetlands in need of remediation. The GHG emissions are measured directly in three different ways: from the water surface, from escaping bubbles of methane and as they are produced in sediments. And while observers on the ground can readily see the green color caused by algal blooms, methods for rapid detection across broad spatial scales using remote sensing can enhance our ability to efficiently target “problem sites'' in need of remediation.

Publication Date

2024

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