Remote Detection of Prairie Pothole Ponds in the Devils Lake Basin, North Dakota

A decadal-scale wet spell in the closed Devils Lake basin of North Dakota has resulted in increases in the elevation and extent of the basin's terminal lakes—Devils and Stump—as well as increases in the size and number of small prairie pothole ponds. Changes in lake surface area have been studied thoroughly, whereas the fluctuations in pond surface area have been virtually ignored. We use a subpixel classification technique in combination with a Landsat TM and ETM+ Band 5 (middle infrared; 1,550-1,750 nm) density slice to improve estimates of changes in the combined area of ponds in the basin for selected years between 1991 and 2002. The resulting information is a first step toward more accurate assessment of the impact of wetland flooding on the region.

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