Wet Prairies are unique communities occurring in isolated, saturated depressions that typically have standing water from late fall to late spring and then dry up and are burned by lightning or human-set fires in summer. Wet prairies depend on essential characteristics such as hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wet prairie hydrology in order to exist. In particular, relatively high water table elevations and high surface moisture conditions lead to ponding water over the earth surface and provide conditions favorable for wet prairies. Conservation organizations in the Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio have bought land and are beginning to restore wet-prairies. However, restoration of wet prairies can be very expensive and time consuming. Its success cannot be guaranteed due to a lack of full understanding of complex natural processes and local politics.
What are the ecohydrologic implications of different restoration scenarios?
What is the best way to analyze and present large amounts of ecohydrological data for management purposes?
GSSHA (Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis) was used to model the complex ecohydrological dynamics of a proposed wet prairie restoration occupying a small (6,300 ac) watershed in the Oak Openings Region under four different scenarios. The first scenario examined the effects of a change in land use. The second and third scenarios investigated the effect of removing ditches present in the area. The fourth scenario looked at the impact of removing the existing invasive Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) from the watershed. The model required spatio-temporal inputs such as NEXRAD rainfall, 20 land uses, 30 soil types, and vegetation height and stomatal resistance among others. It was calibrated with three-years of spatially-explicit water table measurements.
Results/Conclusions
The results are presented as ponding depths maps as these reflect the amount of standing water in and around the wet prairie restoration after precipitation events. Removal of one ditch crossing the watershed or the Glossy buckthorn species increased the flooding in the immediate area during a storm, but this water ponding was localized and shallow. However, extensive flooding over the entire area occurred if the other ditches in the watershed were removed, or if wet prairie vegetation was expanded to cover the whole watershed. This study provides an important modeling framework for understanding and presenting management choices during the restoration of this unique ecological community.