Marsh habitat change analysis for the Point Aux Chenes and Grand Bay Estuaries in Mississippi and Alabama from 1848 to 2022

Frequently anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How might this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How might this data set be cited?
   Terrano, Joseph F., and Smith, Kathryn E.L., 20241113, Marsh habitat change analysis for the Point Aux Chenes and Grand Bay Estuaries in Mississippi and Alabama from 1848 to 2022:.

   This is part of the following larger work.
   Terrano, Joseph F., Smith, Kathryn E.L., Pitchford, Jonathan, and Jenkins, Robert L. III, 20241113, Estuarine Shoreline, Upland Boundary, and Marsh Habitat Change Analyses for the Point Aux Chenes and Grand Bay Estuary Systems, Mississippi and Alabama: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P1HZES2R, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/P1HZES2R

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.495430
   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.307108
   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.427302
   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.313484
   

3. What does it look like?
4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Beginning_Date:

   Ending_Date: 11-May-2022

   Currentness_Reference:

   ground condition

5. What is the general form of this data set?

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data
   

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Raster data set. It contains the following raster data types:
      • Dimensions 826 x 1196, type Grid cell
   2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:

      UTM_Zone_Number: 16N
      Transverse_Mercator:

      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -87.0
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.0
      False_Easting: 500000.0
      False_Northing: 0.0
      

      Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 15
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 15
      Planar coordinates are specified in Meter
      The horizontal datum used is D_North_American_1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS_1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.
      
7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   Habitat_1848.tif, Habitat_1958.tif, and Habitat_2022.tif

   Tagged Image File Format (TIF) rasters containing water, marsh, and upland area for 1848, 1957/1958, and 2019/2022. (Source: USGS)

   Value

   Two-digit code assigned based on the habitat change calculated from date 1 to date 2. (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   0	Cells classified as water.
   1	Cells classified as marsh.
   2	Cells classified as upland.

   Reclass_1 (Reclass_start_date_value)

   Reclassified cell value used in raster change calculations as a way to note both the habitat type and that it was the first date. Only present in the 1848 and 1957 raster files. Parentheses note the field name alias. (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   1	Reclassified water cells.
   3	Reclassified marsh cells.
   7	Reclassified upland cells.

   Reclass_2 (Reclass_end_date_value)

   Reclassified cell value used in raster change calculations as a way to note both the habitat type and that it was the end date. Only present in the 1957 and 2022 raster files. Parentheses note the field name alias. (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   10	Reclassified water cells.
   30	Reclassified marsh cells.
   70	Reclassified upland cells.

   Count

   Number of cells that represent each type of habitat. (Source: ESRI) Sum of 15-meter x 15-meter cells that represent each type of habitat (water, marsh, and upland).

   Type (Habitat)

   Type of habitat. Parentheses note the field name alias. (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   Water	Cells classified as water.
   Marsh	Cells classified as marsh.
   Upland	Cells classified as upland.

   Area_km (Area_kilometers)

   Area in kilometers of each habitat type. (Source: USGS) Area in kilometers of each habitat type. Raster cells are 15-meters x 15-meters, so the area was converted to square kilometers. To convert the area from square meters to square kilometers, the "Count" field was multiplied by 0.000225.

   Marsh_habitat_change_1848_2022.tif, Marsh_habitat_change_1848_1957.tif, and Marsh_habitat_change_1957_2022.tif

   TIF rasters containing marsh habitat change analysis results from 1848-1957, 1848-2022, and 1957-2022. (Source: USGS)

   Value

   Two-digit code assigned based on the habitat change calculated from date 1 to date 2. (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   11	Water to water (no change).
   13	Marsh to water.
   17	Upland to water.
   31	Water to marsh.
   33	Marsh to marsh (no change).
   37	Upland to marsh.
   71	Water to upland.
   73	Marsh to upland.
   77	Upland to upland (no change).

   Count

   The number of cells that represent each type of habitat change. (Source: ESRI) Sum of 15-meter x 15-meter cells that represent each type of habitat change.

   Habitat_ch (Habitat_change)

   Habitat change calculated from date 1 to date 2. (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   Water to Water (no change)	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of water to water (no change).
   Marsh to Water	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of marsh to water.
   Upland to Water	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of upland to water.
   Water to Marsh	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of water to marsh.
   Marsh to Marsh (no change)	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of marsh to marsh (no change).
   Upland to Marsh	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of upland to marsh.
   Water to Upland	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of water to upland.
   Marsh to Upland	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of marsh to upland.
   Upland to Upland (no change)	Change analysis from date 1 to date 2 resulted in a habitat change of upland to upland (no change).

   Area_km (Area_kilometers)

   Area in kilometers of each habitat change type. (Source: USGS) Area in kilometers of each habitat change type. Raster cells are 15-meters x 15-meters, so the area was converted to square kilometers. To convert the area from square meters to square kilometers, the "Count" field was multiplied by 0.000225.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   The final change raster presented here is in the TIF format, with an 8-bit pixel depth, and a pixel type of signed integer. The raster contains 826 rows and 1196 columns with a cell size of 15 meters. Fields in the attribute table called Value and Count were auto generated by ArcGIS Pro.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

   The entity and attribute information were generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the dataset. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Joseph F. Terrano
   • Kathryn E.L. Smith
2. Who also contributed to the data set?
   Acknowledgment of the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, as a data source would be appreciated in products developed from these data, and such acknowledgment as is standard for citation and legal practices. Sharing of new data layers developed directly from these data would also be appreciated by the U.S. Geological Survey staff. These data are not legal documents and are not to be used as such.
3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Attn: Joseph F. Terrano

   Physical Scientist

   600 4th Street South

   St. Petersburg, FL
   

   USA

   727-502-8047 (voice)

   727-502-8182 (FAX)

   jterrano@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   WorldView 2019/2022 imagery (source 1 of 2)

   EarthExplorer, 2023, EarthExplorer Imagery: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution:

   Repository used to acquire remotely sensed WorldView imagery (wv220191116165603 and wv220220511164252). Commercial satellite imagery (such as WorldView) is only available to qualified government users at no cost and must contact the USGS Earth Resources Observation & Science Center (EROS) for requirements.

   T-sheets (1848 and 1957/1958) (source 2 of 2)

   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS), 2023, Historical Surveys (T-Sheets): U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Silver Spring, Maryland.

   Online Links:

   • https://shoreline.noaa.gov/t-sheets.html

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution:

   Historical upland topographic sheets for 1848 (T00243 and T00273) and 1957/1958 (T10744, T10745, and T10752) used to derive habitat change in the study area.

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: 2024 (process 1 of 3)

   Topographic sheets (t-sheets) for 1848 (T00243 and T00273) and 1957/58 (T10744, T10745, and T10752) were added to ArcMap and projected into the North American Datum of 1983 Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 16N (NAD83 UTM 16N). Data was checked to ensure positional accuracy with other previously published data sources. During this check, it was discovered T00273 was slightly shifted from T00243 due to an error within the published NOAA data. Using the ArcGIS Pro georeferencing toolbar, the T00273 t-sheet was georectified using the T00243 t-sheet as a reference. Each t-sheet contained lines representing the shoreline and upland boundary that were heads up digitized within ArcGIS Pro using the Editor toolbar at a scale of 1:1500. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Attn: Joseph F. Terrano

   Physical Scientist

   600 4th Street South

   St. Petersburg, FL
   

   U.S.

   727-502-8047 (voice)

   jterrano@usgs.gov

   Data sources used in this process:

   • T-sheets (1848 and 1957/1958)

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Vectorized shoreline and upland lines for 1848 and 1957/1958

   Date: 2024 (process 2 of 3)

   Worldview 2 imagery from 20191116 (YYYYMMDD) and 20220511 were downloaded from Maxar’s G-EGD. The images were radiometrically and atmospherically corrected and then pansharpened using ERDAS IMAGINE 2020 (version 16.6.0) to obtain measures of ground reflectance. The output image was reprojected into the common projection system of Universal Transverse Mercator World Geodetic System of 1984 datum (UTM zone 16N, WGS 1984). The image was then co-registered to high-resolution aerial imagery (NAIP) using the AutoSync-workstation in ERDAS Image pixels. First, an NAIP image mosaic was created for an extent larger than the WV image coverage. Ground control points coincident on both images were used to adjust the WV image to the corresponding location on the NAIP. Control points with an error value greater than 1 meter were removed. A methodology similar to that described by Maglione and others (2014) was used to generate vector lines from WorldView (WV) images. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was calculated using WV band 5 in the visible red spectrum (RED) and band 7 in the near-infrared spectrum (NIR1) using the following formula: NDVI=(NIR1−RED)/(NIR1+RED). High values (above 0.65) were classified as upland, low values (below 0.21) were classified as water, and in between values (0.21 to 0.65) were classifed as marsh. Using ArcGIS Pro expand and shrink tools, isolated pixels were removed from the wetland-upland raster. In ArcGIS Pro, the classification boundaries were smoothed to remove any extraneous cells missed in the expand and shrink steps. The raster was then converted into polygons and the polygons were converted into polylines. To smooth the ridged cell edges the Polynomial Approximation with Exponential Kernel (PAEK) algorithm and a 2-meter smoothing filter was used. During a quality review, it was discovered that there were several single cells that were classified as upland but were not visibly upland on the WorldView imagery. Collections of these cells with a circumference less than 100 meters were removed as they often were misclassified cells and not upland. Lines were then projected into NAD83 UTM 16N. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Attn: Joseph F. Terrano

   Physical Scientist

   600 4th Street South

   St. Petersburg, FL
   

   U.S.

   727-502-8047 (voice)

   jterrano@usgs.gov

   Data sources used in this process:

   • WorldView 2019/2022 imagery

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • High resolution satellite imagery derived shoreline and upland lines for 2019/2022

   Date: 2024 (process 3 of 3)

   Within ArcGIS Pro, the shorelines and upland lines for the 1848, 1957, and 2022 were added to a map. A single bounding box extent was created that encompassed all three dates and intersected the furthest left and right ends of shorelines and upland lines. This bounding box was created so all three dates have the same final raster extent. The bounding box was then copied into each dated shoreline/upland file. The ends of the shorelines and upland lines were checked to ensure they crossed the left and right edges of the bounding box. The line files were converted into polygons using the ArcGIS Pro tool “polyline to polygon”. The polygons were checked to ensure the classification field containing water, marsh, and upland information was still present. A new classification type was added for polygons that represented water as “0”, marsh as "1", and upland as "2". The polygon was then converted into a raster using the “Polygon to raster” tool with a cell assignment type of maximum combined area and a cell size of 15 meters. The 1848 raster cell values were reclassed to water=1, marsh=3, and upland=7. The 2022 raster cell values were reclassed to water=10, marsh=30, and upland=70. Using the raster calculator, the 1848 raster cell values were added to the 2022 raster cell values. A new field was added to the resulting raster with text codes for each new cell value. For example, if a cell was water in 1848 (cell=1) and marsh in 2022 (cell=30) then the new cell would have a value of “31” (1+30), and the change type of "water to marsh" was added to a field was called "habitat_change". The 1957 image was given 2 classification codes since it was both the last date (1848-1957) and the first date (1957-2022) in analyses. As a result, for the first date (1957-2022) run the classification was water=1, marsh=3, and upland=7 and for the last date (1848-1957) run the values were changed to water=10, marsh=30, and upland=70. The raster calculator was then used to calculate the sum of 1848+1957 and 1957+2022. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Attn: Joseph F. Terrano

   Physical Scientist

   600 4th Street South

   St. Petersburg, FL
   

   U.S.

   727-502-8047 (voice)

   jterrano@usgs.gov

   Data sources used in this process:

   • Vectorized shoreline and upland lines for 1848 and 1957/1958
   • High resolution satellite imagery derived shoreline and upland lines for 2019/2022

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Habitat_1848.tif
   • Habitat_1958.tif
   • Habitat_2022.tif
   • Marsh_habitat_change_1848_1957.tif
   • Marsh_habitat_change_1848_2022.tif
   • Marsh_habitat_change_1957_2022.tif

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
   Maglione, P., Parente, C. and Vallario, A., 20140204, Coastline extraction using high resolution WorldView-2 satellite imagery: European Journal of Remote Sensing Volume 47, Issue 1, Taylor and Francis Group, London, United Kingdom.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5721/EuJRS20144739

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

1. How well have the observations been checked?
   Raster data was checked for accuracy using the source imagery it was created from. Areas where the classification was determined to be inaccurate were manually edited within ArcGIS Pro. A second ArcGIS user on the project (that was not involved in the data creation) checked the final raster files for accuracy. Comparisons with other historical datasets for the same area from other time periods may be inaccurate due to inconsistencies resulting from changes in photointerpretation, mapping conventions, and digital processes over time.
2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
   A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the dataset has not been conducted.
3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
   A formal accuracy assessment of the vertical positional information in the dataset has either not been conducted or is not applicable.
4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
   This dataset is considered complete for the information presented. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
   The intermediate processing steps and final raster data were checked for completeness and accuracy.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
   
   U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management

   600 4th Street South

   Saint Petersburg, FL
   

   United States

   727-502-8000 (voice)

   gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Habitat_1848.tif, Habitat_1957.tif, Habitat_2022.tif Marsh_habitat_change_1848_2022.tif, Marsh_habitat_change_1848_1957.tif, Marsh_habitat_change_1957_2022.tif
3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
   This digital publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution imply any such warranty. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and (or) contained herein. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.
4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	GeoTIFF
     Network links:	https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/data-release/doi-P1HZES2R/data/Marsh_habitat_change.zip

   • Cost to order the data: None. No fees are applicable for obtaining the dataset.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 13-Nov-2024

Metadata author:

U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management

600 4th Street South

Saint Petersburg, FL

United States

727-502-8000 (voice)

gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:

Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)