Using GIS to identify functionally significant wetlands in the Northeastern United States

Of the several automated wetland assessment methods currently available, none are comprehensive in considering all of the primary functions a wetland can pei-form. We developed a methodology particularly suited to the Northeastern United States that enumerates spatial predictors of wetland function for three primary wetland functions: flood flow alteration, surface water quality improvement, and wildlife habitat. Predictors were derived from several wetland assessment techniques and directly from the literature on wetland structure and function. The methodology was then automated using a Geographic Information System (GIS). The resulting Automated Assessment Method for Northeastern Wetlands (AMNEW) consists of a suite of eight Are Macro Language (AML) programs that run in the ARC/INFO GRID module. Using remotely sensed land use information and digital elevation models (DEMs), AMNEW produces three separate grids of wetlands that perform each function. The method was tested on four watersheds in Vermont's Lake Champlain Basin. Results and preliminary verification indicate that the method can successfully identify those wetlands in the Northeastern region that have the potential to be functionally important.