Characterizing Surface and Near-Surface Water

The Prairie Pothole Region occupies a large portion of North American Great Plains and is characterized by millions of potholes that form wetlands. Although, the wetlands have various hydro-ecological and socio-cultural functions and services; they are under immense pressure from the impacts of land use and climate change. Characterizing these wetlands is critical not only to understand their services and functions but also to design management practices for effective wetland protection and restoration. In this book, the in situ-measured hydrological data characterizes the regional and local soil hydrodynamics and controls. In addition, owing to the limitations of in situ measurements, the book presented an empirical model developed from functional relations between RADAR/LiDAR and near-surface hydrological data. The model effectively mapped aerial soil moisture status and dynamics. A more accountable way of delineating prairie wet areas and boundary changes were also explored using an integrated LANDSAT ETM+, RADARSAT-1 SAR and ancillary terrain data from LiDAR. The book is useful for students, teachers, policy makes, researchers, extension agents and anyone who aspires to underst