Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Dslland And Subsysland, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

DSLland is the land cover map used as an organizational framework in the Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) project (McGarigal et al 2017). It is derived primarily from The Nature Conservancy's Northeast Habitat Classification

map (Ferree and Anderson 2013; Anderson et al. 2013; Olivero and Anderson 2013; Olivero-Sheldon et al 2014). To meet the needs of the DSL project, we substantially modified the TNC map. The TNC map is a hierarchical classification. For our purposes, we adopted the 'habitat' level of the hierarchy, which we refer to as "ecosystems", as our finest scale, as it is the most appropriate classification for …

Physics 131: Forces, Energy And Entropy, Brokk Toggerson, David Nguyen

Physics Educational Materials

An openly licensed physics textbook localized for use in Physics 131: Forces, Energy, and Entropy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This book is adapted from the OpenStax College Physics textbook, the University of Maryland NEXUS Physics wikibook, the OpenStax Chemistry textbook and the statistics work of John S. Denker.

Northeast Invasive Plants Data, Tyler Cross, John T. Finn, Bethany Bradley

Environmental Conservation Datasets

The data are distribution and ranked abundance data for thirteen invasive plants in the Northeast US compiled from various spatial repositories for invasive species. iMAP invasives data are not included in this dataset because they are not publicly available. iMAP data can be requested from individual states.

These data form the basis of analyses presented in Cross et al. 2017. "Frequency of invasive plant occurrence is not a suitable proxy for abundance in the Northeast US Ecosphere".

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Potential Dominant Life Form Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Potential dominant life form is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). Potential dominant life form (unvegetated, herbaceous, shrubland, woodland, forest) represents the structure of vegetative community at a site and is used, for example, to distinguish early successional forest from permanent grassland or shrubland. Potential dominant life form is assigned by landcover class, derived from expert opinion. This settings variable is dynamic, changing with urban growth.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Sea Level Rise Metric, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

The sea level rise metric estimates the probability of the focal cell being unable to adapt to predicted inundation by sea level rise (SLR). Whether a site gets inundated by salt water permanently due to sea level rise or intermittently via storm surges associated with sea level rise determines whether an ecosystem can persist at a site and thus its ability to support a characteristic plant and animal community. Based on a sea level rise inundation model developed by USGS Woods Hole (Lentz et al. 2015). The sea level rise metric is an element of the ecological integrity analysis of …

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: All Ecological Settings, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

The ecological settings products include a broad suite of static as well as dynamic abiotic and biotic variables representing the natural and anthropogenic environment at each location (cell). Static variables are those that do not change over time (e.g., elevation, incident solar radiation). Dynamic settings are available for 2010 and 2080; static settings are available for 2010. Dynamic variables are those that change over time in response to succession and the drivers (e.g., growing season degree days, traffic rate). Most of the settings variables are continuous and thus represent landscape heterogeneity as continuous (e.g., slope, biomass), although some are categorical …

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Imperviousness Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Imperviousness is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). Imperviousness measures the percentage of the ground surface area that is impervious to water infiltration, which is an indicator of intensive development and thus an important determinant of ecological communities. This is a dynamic settings variable, increasing with future urban growth.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: The Index Of Ecological Impact, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Includes five landscape change scenarios: 1) baseline 70-year (2010-2080) climate change and urban growth scenario without additional land protection; 2) same as #1 but with 25% more demand for new development; 3) same as #1 but with increased sprawl to the pattern of development; 4) same as #1 but with both 25% more demand for new development and increased sprawl; and 5) same as #1 but with additional terrestrial reserve areas (core areas) protected from development as established for Nature's Network landscape design (www.naturesnetwork.org).

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Traffic Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Traffic is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). Traffic measures the estimated probability of an animal crossing the road being hit by a vehicle given the mean traffic rate, an important determinant of landscape connectivity for mobile terrestrial organisms. It is based on an empirical model of mean vehicles per day, using point counts of traffic, and a transformation to estimate the mortality rate for road crossings. Traffic is a dynamic settings variable, increasing in future timesteps with urban …

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Mean Annual Temperature, Growing Season Degree Days, Heat Index, Minimum Winter Temperature, And Maximum Summer Temperature Settings Variables, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

These five temperture variables are among several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). The temperature regime strongly affects species composition, as well as rates of ecological processes such as nutrient cycling. We’ve chosen five variables to represent different aspects of temperature. All five variables have future versions that incorporate climate change via General Circulation Models (GCMs) (as described in the technical document on climate, McGarigal et al 2017).

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Caco3 Content Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). CaCO3 buffers acidity in soil and water, increasing nutrient uptake by plants, and providing a ready source of calcium for organisms such as aquatic insects. CaCO3 content (Fig. 1), affects the composition of natural communities both directly and indirectly, such that areas with high calcium have increased species richness and support a number of unique species.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Watershed Habitat Loss, Watershed Imperviousness, Road Salt, Sediment, Nutrients, And Dam Intensity Metrics, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

This document describes a suite of stressor metrics that assess the various effects of development in the watershed of the focal cell, as opposed to a (usually) circular window around the focal cell, as with the other metrics. These metrics are used for lotic, lentic, and wetland systems. All effects are weighted by a the time of flow from each stressor source to the focal cell, thus, stressor sources that fall within a stream have a greater effect than those in distant uplands within the watershed. These share a common algorithm, but each has unique parameters. These metrics are elements …

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Tidal Restrictions Metric, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Tidal restrictions include undersized culverts and bridges, tide gates, dikes, and other structures that interfere with normal tidal flushing in estuarine systems. Effects can range from mild changes in species composition and cycling of sediment and nutrients to wholesale conversion of ecological systems, such as conversion of Spartina-dominated salt marshes to Phragmites australis, or, in extreme cases, to freshwater wetlands (Roman et al. 1984, Ritter et al. 2008). The tidal restrictions metric is an element of the ecological integrity analysis of the Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) project (see technical document on integrity, McGarigal et al 2017). Consisting of a composite …

Cheatgrass (Bromus Tectorum) Percent Cover Data, Bethany Bradley

Data and Datasets

A compilation of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) percent cover data across the western U.S. used to train a regional land cover map as well as assess relationships to fire.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Stream Gradient Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Stream gradient is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). Stream gradient is a measure of the percent slope of a stream, which is a primary determinate of water velocity and thus sediment and nutrient transport, and habitat for aquatic plants, invertebrate, fish, and other organisms. Stream gradient is often approximated by categories such as pool, riffle, run, and cascade. Stream gradient is 0% for lentic waterbodies, palustrine, and uplands. It ranges from 0% to infinity (theoretically) for streams.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Incident Solar Radiation Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Incident solar radiation is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). The amount of sun affects temperature, moisture, and plant growth, affecting the communities found in each place.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Slope Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Slope is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). Slope gives the percent slope at each cell. High slopes indicate a propensity for gravityinduced physical disturbance (e.g., talus slopes), which can limit plant development. Slope ranges from 0% for flat areas to theoretically infinity for absolutely vertical cliffs, though the actual maximum occurring in our landscape is 440%.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Soil Available Water Supply, Soil Depth To Restrictive Layer, And Soil Ph Settings Variables, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

These three soils variables are among several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). Soils are important drivers of natural communities. We picked three soil attributes that represent the most important factors: depth, chemistry, and water-holding capacity. Depth to resistant layer measures the depth of soils to a restrictive layer (e.g., bedrock) that limits root depth. Areas with shallow soils (usually on steep slopes or ridgetops) can’t support deep-rooted plants. Soil pH strongly affects nutrient uptake by plants. In the east, soils with …

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Stream Temperature Settings Variable, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

Stream temperature is one of several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). Several fish species (e.g., brook trout) can only survive in coldwater streams, which have higher levels of dissolved O2, while other fish species are adapted to warmer streams. At the same time, ectotherms such as aquatic insects and fish can develop more quickly in warmer streams. Stream temperature is a coarse classification of streams by mean annual temperature.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Traffic Metric, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

The traffic metric assesses the effect of road (and railroad) traffic on animal populations due to road mortality. It integrates the distance to and traffic intensity of roads in the neighborhood of the focal cell. The traffic metric (Fig. 1) is an element of the ecological integrity analysis of the Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) project (see technical document on integrity, McGarigal et al 2017). Consisting of a composite of 21 stressor and resiliency metrics, the index of ecological integrity (IEI) assesses the relative intactness and resiliency to environmental change of ecological systems throughout the northeast. As a stressor metric, Traffic …

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Salt Marsh Ditching Metric, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

The majority of salt marsh ditches in the Northeast have been ditched, both to facilitate harvest of salt marsh hay and to control mosquitoes (Smith and Niles 2016). Ditching changes the hydrology and flows of sediment and nutrients of marshes in ways that are not well understand, though ditched marshes may have altered invertebrate and shorebird communities, and may be less resilient to sea level rise (LeMay 2007). Marshes with intensive ditching (ca. 10 m spacing) appear to be most strongly affected (Vincent et al. 2013). The salt marsh ditching metric is an element of the ecological integrity analysis of …

Designing Sustainable Landscapes: Resiliency Metrics: Similarity, Connectedness, And Aquatic Connectedness, Kevin Mcgarigal, Brad Compton, Ethan Plunkett, Bill Deluca, Joanna Grand

Data and Datasets

This document describes three resiliency metrics that measure a system’s ability to recover from disturbance or stress, as opposed to the other metrics, which assess sources of anthropogenic stress. Resiliency is both a function of the local ecological setting, since some settings are naturally more resilient to disturbance and stress (e.g., an isolated wetland is less resilient to species loss than a well-connected wetland because the latter has better opportunities for recolonization of constituent species), and the level of anthropogenic stress, since the greater the stressor the less likely the system will be able to fully recover or maintain ecological …