TITLE:
Geospatial Evaluation for Ecological Watershed Management: A Case Study of Some Chesapeake Bay Sub-Watersheds in Maryland USA
AUTHORS:
Isoken T. Aighewi, Osarodion K. Nosakhare
KEYWORDS:
Geospatial; Land Use; Water Quality; Remote Sensing; Nutrients; Watershed; GIS
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geographic Information System,
Vol.5 No.4,
July
30,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Geospatial
technology is increasingly being used for various applications in environmental management as the
need for sustainable development becomes more evident in today’s
rapidly-developing world. As a decision tool, Geographic Information system (GIS) and Global positioning
System (GPS) can support major decisions dealing with natural phenomena
distributed in space and time. Such is the case for land use/cover known to
impact ecosystems health in very direct ways. Our study examined one such
application in managing land use of some sub-watersheds in the eastern Shore of
Maryland, USA. We conducted a 20-year historical
land use/cover evaluation using Landsat-TM remotely sensed images and GIS analysis and water
monitoring data acquired during the period by Maryland Department of Natural
Resources, including sewage discharge of some municipalities in the area. The
results not only showed general trends in land use patterns, but also detailed
dynamics of land use-land cover classes, impact on water quality, as well as
other useful information for guiding both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
management decisions of the sub-watersheds. The use of this technology for evaluating
trends in land use/cover on a decade-by-decade basis is recommended as standard
practice for managing ecosystem health on a sustainable basis.