Roads, railroads, and floodplain fragmentation due to transportation infrastructure along rivers

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

BLANTON, P.

Dept. of Geography, Central Washington Univ., Ellensburg, Etats-Unis

MARCUS, W.A.

Dept. of Geography, Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, Etats-Unis

Description :
This article examines the extent of floodplain disconnection caused by transportation infrastructure across three river basins in Washington State. It shows that a rather great proportion of the studied area is disconnected by the roads and railroads. It also demonstrates that Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain data often show where floodplains are truncated by infrastructure, particularly by large features or in urban areas, but do not capture the loss of total floodplain area. Relatively simple broad-scale documentation of infrastructure and floodplain disconnection has potential for guiding further study of floodplain fragmentation at multiple scales, providing an impetus for improving infrastructure design and repair and helping inform aquatic and floodplain management activities.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Annals of the Association of American Geographers, issn : 0004-5608, 2014, vol. 104, n°. 3, p. 413-431, nombre de pages : 19, Références bibliographiques : 2 p.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Etats-Unis, Washington, DC, Association of American Geographers

Langue :
Anglais