Areal Extent of Wetlands Above and Below the 10-Foot Contour Line in Alabama

摘要

Alabama's coastal region includes large expanses of wetlands. These wetlands are the sites of intense competition for a variety of uses. Alabama's Coastal Zone Management (CZM) legislation defines the 10-foot elevation contour line as the inland boundary of the coastal zone. The study examined the extent of wetlands above and below the 10-foot contour line in twenty-seven 7 1/2- minute quadrangles in coastal Alabama. About 28% of the wetlands in these quadrangles fell above the 10-foot contour line and thus are not protected by CZM legislation. While these wetlands tended to differ from those below the 10-foot contour line in vegetative composition, they none-the-less do have significant ecological values.