Evaluating wetland hydroperiod for northwest Ohio wetlands using multi-source remote sensing imagery

We are expanding on a first-year effort to apply multi-source remote sensing capabilities for estimating and measuring hydroperiod and the relative soil moisture of wetlands at NASA\u27s Plumbrook Station in northwest Ohio. A changing regional climate has several potential risks for wetland ecosystem function, including shorter average hydroperiod and reduced soil moisture, depending on seasonal precipitation patterns and total precipitation amounts. Analyses underway by the project team to understand these risks include helping with development of an index of potential wetland vulnerability, creating a date-linked table of wetland extent, and completing a geospatial analysis of wetland connectivity. We are using radar satellite data to improve an analysis of relative soil moisture using fully polarimetric radar data. By performing decompositions on polarimetric data, information is being gathered about scattering mechanisms of the target areas. Understanding the scattering mechanisms of specific environments aids in the determination of hydroperiod and wetland type. Under NASA funding, we are working with environmental scientists at the Plum Brook Station in a continued effort focusing on understanding how a changing climate is affecting, and likely to affect, wetlands at the Station