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Remote Sensing of Forest Structural Changes due to Shale Gas Extraction in Muskingum Watershed

Liu, Yang
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5284-9343
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1535703702856946

Abstract Details

2018, MA, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Geography.
This research investigated the impacts of shale gas drilling activities on forest structure in the Muskingum Watershed in Ohio. The Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) method was applied to 1-foot high-resolution aerial images acquired in 2007 to obtain a quantitative measurement of forest cover at the beginning of the recent boom of the shale gas development. High-resolution aerial images acquired in 2014, gas well point data, and horizontal pipe data were utilized to on-screen digitize the landcover change from 2007 to 2014 and to estimate the landcover change from 2015 to 2017. An object-oriented approach was employed to characterize the forest structure, and a set of forest fragmentation indicators, including overall forest connectivity, anthropogenic fragmentation, and natural fragmentation, have been redefined in terms of the spatial adjacency relation between different types of image objects. The analysis shows that the shale gas drilling activities and corresponding forest fragmentation are concentrated in the eastern part of the Muskingum Watershed. The recent boom started in 2011, reached the peak in 2014, and then slowed down until 2017. Although a small portion of landcover has been changed, the forest fragmentation in the eastern headwater region of Muskingum Watershed is significant due to the shale gas drilling activities. Approximately, 1.75% of the natural landcover was converted to the anthropogenic surface, 1.69% of the forest was lost during 2007-2017. Approximately, 8% of the core forest (forest > 100 m from an edge) was lost, perforated forest (forest < 100 m from an inside edge) decreased by 8%, and 1.62% of the forest was converted to forest edge (forest < 100 m from an outside edge). The overall forest connectivity statistically significantly decreased.
Hongxing Liu, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Diego Cuadros (Committee Member)
Stephen Matter, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Xiaofang Wei, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
47 p.
Geography
Shale gas extraction; Forest fragmentation; Muskingum Watershed; GEOBIA; High-resolution aerial images

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Liu, Y. (2018). Remote Sensing of Forest Structural Changes due to Shale Gas Extraction in Muskingum Watershed [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1535703702856946

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Liu, Yang. Remote Sensing of Forest Structural Changes due to Shale Gas Extraction in Muskingum Watershed. 2018. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1535703702856946.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Liu, Yang. "Remote Sensing of Forest Structural Changes due to Shale Gas Extraction in Muskingum Watershed." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1535703702856946

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1535703702856946
191
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.