Observations and subtle shifts of vegetation communities in Lake Erie have USGS researchers concerned about the potential for Grass Carp to alter these vegetation communities. Broad-scale surveys of vegetation using remote sensing and GIS mapping, coupled with on-the-ground samples in key locations will permit assessment of the effect Grass Carp may have already had on aquatic vegetation communities and establish baseline conditions for assessing future effects. Existing aerial imagery was used with object-based image analysis to detect and map aquatic vegetation in the eastern basin of Lake Erie.

Observations and subtle shifts of vegetation communities in western Lake Erie have USGS researchers concerned about the potential for Grass Carp to alter these vegetation communities. Broad-scale surveys of vegetation using remote sensing and GIS mapping, coupled with on-the-ground samples in key locations will permit assessment of the effect Grass Carp may have already had on aquatic vegetation communities and establish baseline conditions for assessing future effects. Existing aerial imagery was used with object-based image analysis to detect and map aquatic vegetation in the western basin of Lake Erie.

Observations and subtle shifts of vegetation communities in western Lake Erie have USGS researchers concerned about the potential for Grass Carp to alter these vegetation communities. Broad-scale surveys of vegetation using remote sensing and GIS mapping, coupled with on-the-ground samples in key locations will permit assessment of the effect Grass Carp may have already had on aquatic vegetation communities and establish baseline conditions for assessing future effects. Existing aerial imagery was used with object-based image analysis to detect and map aquatic vegetation in the western basin of Lake Erie.

The USGS developed the second in a series of informative spatial distribution datasets of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the eastern basin of Lake Erie. The second dataset was developed by object-based image analysis of high-resolution imagery (US waters < 6 meters deep) collected during peak biomass in 2018 to allow assessments of changes in SAV distribution. Assessing SAV abundance may contribute to inform the long-term impacts of Grass Carp, Common Carp, eutrophication, wind fetch and sedimentation on vegetation communities throughout Lake Erie and the impact these stressors may have on other organisms in the ecosystem. These data may also help inform the deployment of toxic bait deployments targeting Grass Carp. Bait placement can be strategically aligned with the spatial distribution and diet preferences of Grass carp to maximize control efforts while minimizing impacts to native species. These data provide a good baseline of SAV at an early point in the invasion/population growth curve for grass carp from which later assessments/models might project from, and are valuable for bioenergetic modeling efforts to project grass carp biomass or other species dependent on SAV.

This data release shows the digital hydrogeologic datasets were developed for the eight study areas in upstate New York in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. These datasets define the hydrogeologic framework of the valley-fill aquifer and surrounding till-covered uplands within the four study areas. Also included within are the input data that was necessary to create and interpolate the hydrogeologic framework. The input data is provided as point feature classes, and previously published report georeferenced files along with the digitized data as line or polygon feature classes. The data release is broken into eight child item pages; one for each model area. Each child item contains the data pertaining to that study area. In addition to shapefiles, feature classes were provided for convenience to some users. These feature class datasets were not explicitly outlined in the data release and may have subtle differences to shapefiles due to inherent differences in file types (i.e. character limitations in shapefiles vs feature class files).

This data release shows the digital hydrogeologic datasets were developed for the eight study areas in upstate New York in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. These datasets define the hydrogeologic framework of the valley-fill aquifer and surrounding till-covered uplands within the four study areas. Also included within are the input data that was necessary to create and interpolate the hydrogeologic framework. The input data is provided as point feature classes, and previously published report georeferenced files along with the digitized data as line or polygon feature classes. The data release is broken into eight child item pages; one for each model area. Each child item contains the data pertaining to that study area. In addition to shapefiles, feature classes were provided for convenience to some users. These feature class datasets were not explicitly outlined in the data release and may have subtle differences to shapefiles due to inherent differences in file types (i.e. character limitations in shapefiles vs feature class files).

This data release shows the digital hydrogeologic datasets were developed for the eight study areas in upstate New York in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. These datasets define the hydrogeologic framework of the valley-fill aquifer and surrounding till-covered uplands within the four study areas. Also included within are the input data that was necessary to create and interpolate the hydrogeologic framework. The input data is provided as point feature classes, and previously published report georeferenced files along with the digitized data as line or polygon feature classes. The data release is broken into eight child item pages; one for each model area. Each child item contains the data pertaining to that study area. In addition to shapefiles, feature classes were provided for convenience to some users. These feature class datasets were not explicitly outlined in the data release and may have subtle differences to shapefiles due to inherent differences in file types (i.e. character limitations in shapefiles vs feature class files).

These data were converted from the originally delivered Microsoft Access PLOTs database from the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. These comma-delimited data tables contain(s) vegetation mapping plot classification and accuracy assessment data, as well as summary information about the data itself. If a table is empty, then it was empty in the original database.

These data were converted from the originally delivered Microsoft Access PLOTs database from the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. These comma-delimited data tables contain(s) vegetation mapping plot classification and accuracy assessment data, as well as summary information about the data itself. If a table is empty, then it was empty in the original database.

The USGS developed the second in a series of informative spatial distribution datasets of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the western basin of Lake Erie. The second dataset was developed by object-based image analysis of high-resolution imagery (US waters < 6 meters deep) collected during peak biomass in 2018 to allow assessments of changes in SAV distribution. Assessing SAV abundance may contribute to inform the long-term impacts of Grass Carp, Common Carp, eutrophication, wind fetch and sedimentation on vegetation communities throughout Lake Erie and the impact these stressors may have on other organisms in the ecosystem. These data may also help inform the deployment of toxic bait deployments targeting Grass Carp. Bait placement can be strategically aligned with the spatial distribution and diet preferences of Grass carp to maximize control efforts while minimizing impacts to native species. These data provide a good baseline of SAV at an early point in the invasion/population growth curve for grass carp from which later assessments/models might project from, and also considered valuable for bioenergetic modeling efforts to project grass carp biomass or other species dependent on SAV.