Our group is developing a process-based hydrologic model to explore drivers of hydrologic connectivity across three archetypical wetlandscapes: Prairie Pothole wetlands, Delmarva and Carolina Bays, and Florida Cypress Domes. These wetlands are currently part of an ongoing legal battle at the federal level, much of which hinges on uncertainty associated with their connectivity to downstream waters. Our work aims to characterize this connectivity, which will inform both policy and wetland management efforts.

This study is part of the USGS Powell Center’s North American Analysis and Synthesis on the Connectivity of “Geographically Isolated Wetlands” to Downstream Waters working group. Primary collaborators include Fred Cheng, Nandita Basu, and Daniel McLaughlin.

Pictures of a Prairie Pothole wetland in North Dakota, a Delmarva Bay in Maryland, and a Cypress Dome in the Big Cypress National Park in southern Florida.