Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2009TX330B

Ecohydrology of Forested Wetlands on the Texas Gulf Coast

Institute: Texas
Year Established: 2009 Start Date: 2009-03-01 End Date: 2010-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $5,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $19,259

Principal Investigators: Dex Dean, Bradford Wilcox

Project Summary: Wetlands provide critical ecological services, including flood control, water quality improvement, wildlife habitat, and enhancement of biodiversity. In the Texas Gulf Coast region, as in many areas of the country, industrialization and developmental pressures have led to a dramatic decline in wetland area over the past fifty years. Ironically, because many are considered to be isolated and not hydrologically connected to adjacent streams, they are without regulatory protection. However, very little work has been done to examine the connectivity of these wetlands to nearby streams. The study we propose will help us better understand hydrological processes of forested wetlands on the Texas Gulf Coast, as a means of investigating this issue. An important first step in understanding hydrological processes on these wetlands will be to develop quantified water budgets including rainfall, surface flow, soil water, and transpiration. We anticipate that this research will play an important role in determining the regulatory status of these wetland landscapes.