Vegetative health was measured both before and after Hurricane Harvey using remotely sensed vegetation indices on the coastal marshland surrounding Galveston Island's West Bay. Data were recorded on a monthly basis following the hurricane from September of 2005 until September of 2019 in order to document the vegetation response to this significant disturbance event. Both initial impact and recovery were found to be dependent on a variety of factors, including elevation zone, spatial proximity to the bay, the season during which recovery took place, as well as the amount of time since the hurricane. Slope was also tested as a potential variable using a LiDAR-derived slope raster, and while unable to significantly explain variations in vegetative health immediately following the hurricane, it was able to explain some degree of variability among spatially close data points. Among environmental factors, elevation zone appeared to be the most key in determining the degree of vegetation impact, suggesting that the different plant assemblages that make up different portions of the marsh react differently to the severe flooding that took place during Harvey.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1833477 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Hudman, Kenneth Russell |
| Contributors | Dong, Pinliang, Hoeinghaus, David, Pan, Feifei, Hudak, Paul |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | vii, 53 pages, Text |
| Rights | Public, Hudman, Kenneth Russell, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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