MCERT Terrestrial

To determine a restoration effort index for the areas comprising the terrestrial landscape of coastal Mississippi, the landscape was first divided into subwatersheds, which serve as fine-scale units of approximately consistent size that are defined by the shared flow of water. A large number of input datasets were then collected representing environmental resources, human welfare resources, and impacts or stressors within the area of interest. Each dataset was assigned a weight based on relative importance and quality of data, and datasets were area-adjusted and normalized on a subwatershed basis before being summed by category. Below, each input dataset is listed with a brief description of what it represents and how it was acquired or derived.

SUMMARY ATTRIBUTES

This category contains scores, zones, and indices that summarize data from various attributes within each subwatershed.

Restoration Effort Index

The Restoration Effort Index uses input from various model components to assess the level of effort that would be needed to implement a restoration program or action in a particular planning unit.

Environmental Resource Value Zone

Impact/Stressor Zone

Environmental Resource Value Score

These scores were calculated for each subwatershed by summing the normalized totals for each attribute within the Environmental Resource Value category.

Human Welfare Resource Value Score

These scores were calculated for each subwatershed by summing the normalized totals for each attribute within the Human Welfare Resource Value category.

Impact/Stressor Score

These scores were calculated for each subwatershed by summing the normalized totals for each attribute within the Impact/Stressor category.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

This category contains weighted and normalized datasets representing the occurrence of various environmental resources throughout the study area.

Threatened and Endangered Species

This data represents observational locations of T & E species obtained from the Mississippi Natural Heritage Program. Given the inherent sampling bias of the data, species locations were calculated using a species richness calculation at the subwatershed level. To eliminate historic and incidental observations, only records since the year 2000 were included and only species with multiple occurrences were counted in each subwatershed. Areas with high species richness of T & E species are areas of greater importance and receive a higher score.

Hubs

Hubs are large blocks of un-fragmented natural areas that act as primary habitat zones for a habitat connectivity network. They provide space for native plants and animal communities and an origin or destination for wildlife, people, water, nutrients, and energy moving through the system. The size of hubs are user defined and can change depending on the goal or objective of a conservation or restoration activity. For the landscape level analysis, hubs represent natural areas that are 5,000 acres or greater. Within the immediate coastal zone (10 miles from shoreline), hub features are represented by natural areas 1,000 acres or greater and include continuous estuarine marsh habitat at various sizes. Hubs received a sub-weight based on their level of “centrality”. Centrality analyzes the linkage networks, calculating current flow centrality across the network. Current flow centrality is a measure of how important a link or core area is for keeping the overall network connected.

Corridors

Corridors connect hub habitats and tie the system together, providing conduits for movement, for plants, animals, water, and nutrients. Habitat corridors were created using a least-cost path approach between hub features using a landscape condition raster as a cost surface. Corridors were truncated at 20 km, with the innermost corridor receiving the highest sub-weight. This circuit represents the best connection in between various hub habitats.

Department of Defense Land

Areas managed by the U.S. Department of Defense.

National Wildlife Refuges

Areas managed for wildlife by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wildlife Management Areas

Areas managed for wildlife by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

National Forests

Areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Camp Shelby Managed Area

Areas within the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, jointly managed by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Forest Service, and the State of Mississippi.

Wilderness Areas

Areas federally designated as wilderness and managed by the National Park Service.

Coastal Preserves

Properties managed under the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' Coastal Preserves Program.

Conservation Easements

Properties designated as conservation easements within the area of interest.

LTMCP Land

Properties managed by the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain.

TNC Land

Properties managed by the Nature Conservancy.

Estuarine Emergent Wetlands

Estuarine wetlands are tidal marshes dominated by hydrophytic, herbaceous vegetation. These wetlands are semi-enclosed by land but have open, partly obstructed or sporadic access to the open ocean where the saline waters are diluted by freshwater inflow. These habitats are of great value to coastal and marine species and have undergone extensive depletion due to anthropogenic landuse conversion and erosion.

Non-Estuarine Emergent Wetlands

These are wetlands dominated by herbaceous vegetation that occur in areas without tidal influence. They are widespread throughout the area of interest but seldom cover extensive areas.

HUMAN WELFARE RESOURCES

This category contains weighted and normalized datasets representing the occurrence of various resources that are relevant to human welfare throughout the study area.

Recreational Locations

This GIS point data layer is used to assess areas used by the general population for recreational purposes and originally includes recreational facilities including parks and historic sites.

Public Waterways

This dataset is used to assess linear mileage of public waterways in the subwatersheds of each river basin. Public waterways are defined by MDEQ as portions of all natural flowing streams in Mississippi having a mean annual flow of not less than one hundred cubic feet per second, on which citizens shall have the right of free transport in the stream and its bed and the right to fish and engage in water sports. The linear mileage of public waterways is calculated for each subwatershed, squared, and divided by subwatershed area.

Streams Designated for Public Water Supply

This dataset represents Mississippi streams designated for public water supply under MDEQ’s Water Quality Standards. The linear mileage of designated streams is calculated for each subwatershed, squared, and divided by subwatershed area.

Streams Designated for Recreation

This dataset represents Mississippi streams designated for recreation under MDEQ’s Water Quality Standards. The linear mileage of designated streams is calculated for each subwatershed, squared, and divided by subwatershed area.

Lakes Designated for Public Water Supply

This dataset represents Mississippi lakes designated for public water supply under MDEQ’s Water Quality Standards. The acreage of designated lakes is calculated for each subwatershed.

Lakes Designated for Recreation

This dataset represents Mississippi lakes designated for recreation under MDEQ’s Water Quality Standards. The acreage of designated lakes is calculated for each subwatershed.

Source Water Protection Areas

This layer is used to assess the acreage within each subwatershed of surface areas that are under protection to safeguard public drinking water, specifically surrounding water supply intakes.

National and State Parks

This dataset represents boundaries of all state and national parks within Mississippi.

IMPACTS/STRESSORS

This category contains weighted and normalized datasets representing the distribution of various features causing stress or adverse impact to Mississippi's coastal resources.

Beach Closures

This data represents bacteria samples collected through MDEQ’s Beach Monitoring Program at specified locations along the beachfront of Mississippi. The data is used for beach advisory notifications and beach closures due to elevated bacteria counts. For the ranking tool, the number of bacteria counts exceeding MDEQ’s closure threshold (104 colonies/100 mL) since the year 2000 was calculated for each sampling location.

NPDES Sites

As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. NPDES locations are used as point data in the ranking model.

303(d) Impaired Water Bodies

Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires the state to identify water bodies that do not meet one or more applicable water quality standards and for which Total Maximum Daily Load calculations (TMDLs) are needed. This dataset represents streams classified as impaired on Mississippi’s 303(d) List for 2014. The linear mileage of classified streams is calculated for each subwatershed, squared, and divided by subwatershed area.

Groundwater Permits

This dataset represents locations of permits related to the withdrawal of groundwater in Mississippi.

Surface Water Permits

This dataset represents locations of permits related to the diversion or impoundment of surface water in Mississippi.

Landscape Development Intensity

LDI is a measure of human activity based on a development intensity measure that is derived from non-renewable energy use in the surrounding landscape. The LDI index has been used to predict ecosystem condition based on the intensity of human activities in the surrounding landscape and under the premise that ecological communities are affected by the direct, secondary, and cumulative impacts in the surrounding landscape. Using land use data and a development-intensity measure derived from energy use per unit area, an index of Landscape Development Intensity (LDI) can be calculated for watersheds of varying sizes to estimate the potential impacts from human-dominated activities that are experienced by ecological systems within those watersheds. The LDI layer is used as a single metric for the ranking tool and also as a cost surface for the habitat corridor network calcualtions.

Non-Riparian Zone

This dataset was created to quantify non-riparian acreage of subwatersheds based on the land use/land cover around streams in Mississippi. A buffer of 150 feet was applied to each stream, and the acreage of non-riparian land use classes from the NLCD (urban, barren, pasture, and cropland) falling within the buffer was calculated for each subwatershed.

Impervious Surface

This dataset was created to assess the amount of impervious surface within each subwatershed. The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Percent Developed Impervious surface estimates of the amount of man-made impervious surfaces present over a given area in a seamless form. These raster data sets are derived from Landsat satellite imagery, using classification and regression tree analysis. Values range from 0 to 100 percent, indicating the degree to which the area is covered by impervious features.

Erosion Potential Index

This dataset assesses the erosion potential of subwatersheds in extremely low relief coastal areas where SWAT outputs were not applied. This data set is derived from three components. The first component consists of two parts taken from the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) created by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This geographic data is linked to several detailed soil data tables by a unique value called the Map Unit Identification Number (MUID). KF-factor and slope are derived from SSURGO tables that are used in assessing the erosion index. As described by Soil Information for Environmental Modeling and Ecosystem Management, KFFACT quantifies the susceptibility of soil particles to detachment and movement by water and it is used in the Universal Soil Loss Equation to calculate soil loss by water. A higher K-value would depict a higher dispersion rate. Slope was used to determine an erosion potential based on gradient. Slope was determined based on average slope which was calculated from the two values of highest and lowest percent slope values. The KF-factor and slope values for each MUID are multiplied to quantify a value representing “soil erosion potential”. The third component used in quantifying the erosion index is the land use/ land cover data obtained from the NLCD. Weights were applied to each NLCD land use class to reflect the potential impact on erosion of each. Acreages of each class are then calculated within each subwatershed and multiplied by their respective weight to quantify the “land use erosion potential”. Finally, the soil erosion potential and land use erosion potential are multiplied to generate the Erosion Index Value for each subwatershed.

Nutrient Potential Index

This dataset was created to assess the input of agricultural and urban applications of fertilizers within subwatersheds in extremely low relief coastal areas where SWAT outputs were not applied. This dataset is a combination of the general application rate of fertilizer on major crops and nutrient export coefficients of urban fertilizer applications. The general application rate was obtained from the suggestions of the NRCS state grazing specialist as referenced from the Delta Agricultural Digest. The general application rate of fertilizer on major crops in Mississippi is an average resulting in approximately 90 lbs. /acre. Urban fertilizer application was derived from nutrient export coefficients obtained from the study (Developing Nutrient Criteria/TMDLs to Manage Excessive Fertilization of Water Bodies). The nutrients considered for these coefficients are phosphorus and nitrogen. They are expressed in grams per meters squared per year g/m2/y. These expressions were then converted to grams per acre per year to keep consistency throughout the tool. Urban and agricultural areas were obtained from NLCD land use/land cover data. Acreage values for each land use class were calculated for each subwatershed and multiplied by the corresponding coefficients to quantify the total fertilizer input. The urban and agricultural fertilizer inputs were then multiplied to generate the final Nutrient Potential Index value.

Livestock Index

This dataset was created to quantify the amount of livestock within each subwatershed. This dataset was derived from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Mississippi Census of Agriculture in conjunction with the NLCD land use/ land cover data. The agriculture census provided data that expressed counts of animals (poultry, cattle, swine, sheep, and goats) per county. The use category (pasture) was used in conjunction with county shape data to calculate acreage of pasture per county. This information was used in conjunction with the livestock per county information to create a ratio of livestock per pasture within each county. The subwatershed data was then used with the land use data to calculate the acreage of pasture within each subwatershed. The ratio of livestock per pasture per county information was then multiplied by the acreage of pasture per subwatershed to derive the predicted heads of livestock per subwatershed.

SWAT Water Quality Model Outputs

SWAT is a continuous time hydrological and water quality simulation model that operates on a daily time step at the subwatershed scale. The objective of the model is to predict the long-term impacts of land uses, such as urban development, and also timing of agricultural practices within a year (i.e., crop rotations, planting and harvest dates, irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticide application rates and timing). It can be used to simulate the water and nutrients cycle in a variety of landscapes and scales in subwatersheds and stream reaches. The model facilitates the inclusion of best management practices (BMPs) and scenario development.

Subwatershed Nitrogen Yield: Total nitrate transported from the subwatershed into the corresponding stream reach via surface runoff, over the period 2006-2013, as simulated by SWAT. Expressed in kilograms of nitrogen per hectare.
Subwatershed Phosphorus Yield: Total phosphorus transported from the subwatershed into the corresponding stream reach via surface runoff, over the period 2006-2013, as simulated by SWAT. Expressed in kilograms of phosphorus per hectare.
Subwatershed Sediment Yield: Total sediment transported from the subwatershed into the corresponding stream reach over the period 2006-2013, as simulated by SWAT. Expressed in metric tons per hectare.
Cumulative Nitrogen Input: Average nitrogen concentration of water transported into the stream reach (from all upstream reaches) over the period 2006-2013, as simulated by SWAT. Expressed in kilograms per cubic meter.
Cumulative Phosphorus Input: Average phosphorus concentration of water transported into the stream reach (from all upstream reaches) over the period 2006-2013, as simulated by SWAT. Expressed in kilograms per cubic meter.
Cumulative Sediment Input: Average sediment concentration of water transported into the stream reach (from all upstream reaches) over the period 2006-2013, as simulated by SWAT. Expressed in kilograms per cubic meter.

Dam Storage Ratio

This metric represents the potential disruption to streamflow die to upstream impoundments or dams. Dam locations and impoundment volumes were collected from the National Anthropogenic Barriers dataset (2012). Dam storage ratio is quantified for each subwatershed as the volume of water impounded by dams in or upstream of a subwatershed, divided by annual flow volume at the subwatershed outlet.

MCERT Marine

To determine a restoration effort index for the marine and estuarine areas of Mississippi, these areas were first divided into hexagonal units of equal size. A large number of input datasets were then collected representing environmental resources and impacts or stressors within the area of interest. Each dataset was assigned a weight based on relative importance and quality of data, and datasets were normalized before being summed by category. Below, each input dataset is listed with a brief description of what it represents and how it was acquired or derived.

SUMMARY ATTRIBUTES

This category contains scores, zones, and indices that summarize data from various attributes within each unit.

Restoration Effort Index

The Restoration Effort Index uses input from various model components to assess the level of effort that would be needed to implement a restoration program or action in a particular planning unit.

Environmental Resource Value Zone

Three categories of ER zones were derived from the ER scores (see below) based on the Jenks Natural Breaks Methodology. Each ER zone is defined and general goals for that rating are established to guide restoration project development. A fourth zone for the marine model was established to identify those areas where there is not enough data to make informed decisions on restoration. These areas require a cautionary approach and identify information gaps and research needs.

Impact/Stressor Zone

Three categories of I/S zones were derived from the I/S scores (see below) based on the Jenks Natural Breaks Methodology. Each I/S zone is defined and general goals for that rating are established to guide restoration project development. A fourth zone for the marine model was established to identify those areas where there is not enough data to make informed decisions on restoration. These areas require a cautionary approach and identify information gaps and research needs.

Environmental Resource Value Score

These scores were calculated for each unit by summing the normalized totals for each attribute within the Environmental Resource Value category.

Impact/Stressor Score

These scores were calculated for each unit by summing the normalized totals for each attribute within the Impact/Stressor category.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

This category contains weighted and normalized datasets representing the occurrence of various environmental resources throughout the study area.

SAV

This represents spatial data of coverages of submerged aquatic vegetation for Mississippi. It consists of data that has been aggregated by various government agencies and research institutions.

Commercial Oysters

This represents subtidal oyster reefs that are harvestable as regulated by MDMR.

Non-commercial Oysters

This represents non-commercial oyster reefs that were created from restoration efforts.

Intertidal Oysters

This represents percent cover of intertidal oysters in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Data were collected and mapped by NERR staff in 2008.

Artificial Reef

An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom. Many reefs are built using objects that were built for other purposes, for example by sinking oil rigs (through the Rigs-to-Reefs program), scuttling ships, or by deploying limestone or construction debris. Other artificial reefs are purpose built (e.g. the reef balls) from PVC or concrete. Regardless of construction method, artificial reefs generally provide hard surfaces where algae and invertebrates such as barnacles, corals, and oysters attach; the accumulation of attached marine life in turn provides structure and food for assemblages of fish. This is NOT a complete collection of artificial reefs on the seafloor, nor are the locations to be considered exact. The presence and location of the artificial reefs have been derived from multiple state websites. These data are intended for coastal and ocean planning, not for navigation.

Estuarine Marsh

Artificial Beach

This reflects shoreline types mapped by the Mississippi Dept of Marine Resources.

Natural Beach

This reflects shoreline types mapped by the Mississippi Dept of Marine Resources.

Coastal Preserves

This represents properties managed under the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' Coastal Preserves Program.

NPS

This represents properties managed by the National Park Service.

Shell Middens

This represents historical Native American sites in Hancock County and Grand Bay NERR.

Piping Plover Critical Habitat

The Fish and Wildlife Service, designate 137 areas along the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas as critical habitat for the wintering population of the piping plover (Charadrius melodus). This includes approximately 2,891.7 kilometers (km) (1,798.3 miles (mi)) of mapped shoreline and approximately 66,881 hectares (ha) (165,211 acres (ac)) of mapped area along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts and along margins of interior bays, inlets, and lagoons.

Gulf Sturgeon Critical Habitat (Riverine)

USFWS and NOAA Fisheries designate critical habitat for the Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi), a threatened species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). There are 14 designated geographic areas among the Gulf of Mexico rivers and tributaries as critical habitat for the Gulf sturgeon. These 14 geographic areas (units) encompass approximately 2,783 river kilometers (rkm) (1,730 river miles (rmi)) and 6,042 square kilometers (km2) (2,333 square miles (mi2)) of estuarine and marine habitat.

Winter Blue Crab Sanctuary

Marine Mammal Density

The Bottlenose Dolphin Species Distribution Model was constructed by integrating presence locations of dolphins acquired from line-transect sampling from 2011–2013 with maps of environmental conditions for the region to generate a likelihood of dolphin occurrence for winter (January–March), spring (April–June), summer (July–September), and autumn (October–December) using maximum entropy. Source: Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, 2015.

Turtle Density

This dataset represents the modeled density of Kemp's Ridley turtle occurrence in the Gulf of Mexico. The modeling was performed by NOAA in 2010.

IMPACTS/STRESSORS

This category contains weighted and normalized datasets representing the distribution of various features causing stress or adverse impact to Mississippi's coastal resources.

Piers and Docks

The acquisition of this data was completed as part of the Gulf Region Base Mapping Ownership Data Development Project under a contract to Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. This project was funded through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for the reconstruction effort in the five coastal counties. The base map collection data were designed as a resource to aid the State and local governments. These data will be posted on the Mississippi Geospatial Clearinghouse Portal as a Mississippi Digital Earth Model (MDEM) GIS layer.

Artificial Reef Activity

Public Access

This represents points of public access to open water locations. These data were created by the MS Department of Marine Resources.

Energy Facilities

These data depict the locations of facilities that generate electricity derived from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) which is representative of 2009 facilities. Only facilities adjacent to the coast and Great Lakes are shown. Contained within the database are records that define the fuel source and other characteristics of the facility that may benefit ocean planners.

Crude Oil Pipelines

This represents major crude oil pipelines in the United States. Layer includes interstate trunk lines and selected intrastate lines but excludes gathering lines. Based on publicly available data from a variety of sources with varying scales and levels of accuracy. Updated March 2014

Anchorage Areas (Large Vessels)

The GIS REST service for "Anchorage Areas in U.S. waters" provides raster maps of the anchorage areas in which vessels anchor or may anchor (as defined by IHO Dictionary, S-32, 5th Edition, 130). These areas are derived from NOAA's Electronic Navigation Charts. This serivce is a cartographic representation of marine source data based on S-57 data format and content specification.

USACE Dredge Disposal Areas

The GIS REST service for "Disposal Areas in U.S. waters" provides raster maps of the Disposal Areas designated by the Corps of Engineers for depositing dredged material where existing depths indicate that the intent is not to cause sufficient shoaling to create a danger to surface navigation. These areas are derived from NOAA's Electronic Navigational Charts.

Hardened Shoreline

This reflects shoreline types mapped by the Mississippi Dept of Marine Resources.

Artificial Beach

This reflects shoreline types mapped by the Mississippi Dept of Marine Resources.

Bridges

Impervious Surface

This dataset was created to assess the amount of impervious surface adjacent to each unit. The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Percent Developed Impervious surface estimates of the amount of man-made impervious surfaces present over a given area in a seamless form. These raster data sets are derived from Landsat satellite imagery, using classification and regression tree analysis. Values range from 0 to 100 percent, indicating the degree to which the area is covered by impervious features.

Borrow Pits

These data represent locations where bottom sediments have been excavated for use in other locations.

Shipping Density

This dataset represents the density of all vessel traffic from vessels with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transponders for the year 2013.

Beach Closures

This dataset represents the relative frequency of beach advisories and closures due to bacteria counts above a certain threshold, for sampling stations along the Mississippi coast for the period 2000-2017.

NPDES

This dataset represents the proximity of each unit to a point source of pollutants as defined under the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

	Open Water
	Developed, Open Space
	Developed, Low Intensity
	Developed, Medium Intensity
	Developed, High Intensity
	Barren Land
	Deciduous Forest
	Evergreen Forest
	Mixed Forest
	Shrub/Scrub
	Herbaceous
	Hay/Pasture
	Cultivated Crops
	Woody Wetlands
	Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands