Exploring Harrier Meadow
Interactive story map
Harrier Meadow
Welcome to Harrier Meadow (outline in yellow), an urban wetland located in the Meadowlands of NJ. This tidal wetlands habitat has a vibrant community of birds, plants, and other animals.
Harrier Meadow falls within the sprawling New York City metropolitan area. The region has experienced extensive development and urbanization, making these meadows an important habitat to understand and preserve.
Rare Native Species
Scroll down to learn about the rare native Salicornia (commonly known as Pickleweed!) that gives Harrier Meadow a pop of color.
Harrier Meadow is Alive with Rare Plants
The drone tour of Harrier Meadow that you take as part of this module reveals communities of bright red blooming vegetation.
Scroll down to take a closer look.
Salicornia - A Rare Meadowlands Gem
Salicornia (common name: Pickleweed) is an endemic native species within the Hackensack Estuary. Pickleweed is a salinity tolerant plant so it can potentially flourish in high salinity (high electrical conductivity) environments that are possible in tidal salt marshes such as Harrier Meadow. The figure below shows a close-up of a Pickleweed plant in Harrier Meadow, evident from its characteristic bright red color.
Salicornia commonly known as Pickleweed at Harrier Meadow
End of the Story Map for Unit 1
2D Geophysical Surveying
Electrical Imaging (EI Survey)
The blue points on the map were captured with GPS equipment and represent the locations of the 96 electrodes that were inserted into the ground and enabled an electrical current to be transmitted between two pairs of electrodes whilst potential differences were recorded between up to ten other pairs of electrodes. In total, 2592 measurements were recorded using these 96 electrodes.
Laying out the resistivity line in Harrier Meadow. Electrodes are hard to see but locations for three electrodes are highlighted
The EI line crosses two Salicornia patches (red). The major patch is located just north of the midway point of the line. A second, significantly smaller, patch is located towards the southern end of the line. Electrode 1 is at the northern end of the line.
Acquisition of the electrical imaging dataset once the line is installed.
3D Geophysical Surveying
Electromagnetic (EM) Conductivity Mapping
The yellow points on the map were captured with GPS equipment and represent locations of the DualEM electromagnetic sensor across the study area. You can see how the survey was constructed of a series of back and forth lines as operators covered the survey area. The lines are not equally spaced as the operators were estimating the line increments and navigating vegetation. The gap between lines near the center of the survey is because of a very wet area that could not be walked over. The survey points nicely traverse the two Salicornia patches.
The Dualem soil conductivity mapping survey underway in Harrier Meadow
DualEM Electromagnetic Data Data visualization using GIS
We can use GIS mapping technology to visualize the conductivity readings at Harrier Meadow captured in the DualEM Electromagnetic survey. The 'Kriging' mapping tool allows us to do this. Kriging is a type of interpolation which helps us visualize data captured in the field. Interpolation takes observed values at known locations, and using mathematical equations estimates values in points between these observed values. In the example of Harrier Meadow, we can input the conductivity values captured by the DualEM, and the kriging tool will model conductivity values in between the survey points. The product of this tool creates a smooth continuous surface of conductivity. This will allow us to see patterns, trends, and hotspots in the Salicornia study area. Interact with the slider maps below to see conductivity across the study area.
The image to the right shows the measured DualEM point values being interpolated to create the continuous color ramp representing a range of conductivity values across the study area.
Use the slider to see the DualEM interpolations overlayed on top of the DualEM survey points and the Salicornia drone imagery.
DualEM Conductivity of Layer 1 (0.0 - 0.2 m)
DualEM Conductivity of Layer 2 (0.2 -.05 m)
DualEM Conductivity of Layer 3 (0.5 - 0.9 m)
DualEM Conductivity of Layer 4 (0.9 - 1.4 m)
DualEM Conductivity of Layer 5 (1.4 - 2.1 m)
DualEM Conductivity of Layer 6 (2.1 - 3.0 m)
DualEM Conductivity of Layer 7 (below 3.0 m)
End of story map for Unit 5
