AQUATIC VEGETATION
For more information on reed canary grass research at UW-Madison, please contact Tom Lillesand.
Reed canary grass research at UW-Madison is being researched in partnership with the WI-DNR.
For more information on macrophyte research at UMN, please contact Pat Brezonik.
Macrophyte research at UMN is being supported by the MN-DNR.
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Project Overview
The Upper Midwest is known for its lakes, but it also has millions of acres
of wetlands. In some parts of the RESAC region over 90 percent of the
original wetlands have been drained and many of the remaining wetlands have
been degraded. Research indicates that changes in hydrology affect the water
quality and quantity and severely impact the function of wetlands. While
unimpacted wetland plant communities are usually composed of a more diverse
group of native species, impacted wetlands are dominated by a less diverse
group of more opportunistic native and non-native plants such as cattail,
purple loosestrife and reed canary grass.
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Aquatic vegetation classification of Swan Lake in Nicollett County, MN |
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More recently aquatic plants in lakes and wetlands have been recognized by
many as being important ecosystem features that should to be protected.
These plants are important because they help protect water quality, provide
habitat for fish and wildlife while also providing economic and aesthetic
opportunities. With this greater appreciation for aquatic plants in wetland
and lake environments aquatic plants surveys and assessments are becoming
part of routine monitoring efforts conducted by consultants, citizen groups,
and state and local agencies. However, because of expense and time
requirements for ground-based monitoring, it is impractical to monitor more
than a small fraction of this large resource by conventional field methods.
The use of remote, high resolution satellite-based sensing has the potential
to be a cost-effective way to gather the information needed for aquatic
plant assessments in many of the Upper Midwest's lakes and wetlands. |
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