Area of interest and study area for Arundo donax (Arundo Cane) Image Classification along the Rio Grande in Webb County, Texas, 2020–2021

This data release contains geospatial vector (polygon) data created using data obtained during 2020–21 in support of Arundo donax (Arundo Cane) image classification along the Rio Grande in Webb County, Texas. These polygon data represent the area of interest (AOI) and the analysis study area (buffer zone that extends one mile east of the Rio Grande center line) on the U.S. side of the Mexico/United States border. Arundo donax (Arundo cane, giant reed, or Carrizo cane), is an invasive bamboo-like perennial grass most common to riparian areas throughout the southwestern United States. Because it displaces native riparian vegetation, Arundo cane has greatly disrupted the health of riparian ecosystems in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico during the past 50 years. Arundo cane also has created border security problems along the Rio Grande as it grows in tall, thick stands that reduce visibility. In 2015-2016, the Texas State Legislature directed the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) to “develop and implement a program to eradicate Carrizo cane along the Rio Grande” (Texas Senate Bill 1734). One of the ecosystem-based approaches implemented by TSSWCB was the use of imazapyr and glyphosate herbicides. To better understand the effects of the herbicide treatment on the targeted vegetation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with TSSWCB, acquired high-resolution WorldView-3 Standard Imagery on 3 days to assess Arundo cane extent along the reach before, during, and after the herbicide treatment period (June 30, 2020, September 26, 2020, and May 07, 2021, respectively). Following a similar methodology described by Yang and others (2009), the assessment was completed by computing a maximum likelihood supervised classification on WorldView-3 imagery to estimate the areas covered by Arundo cane, water, and mixed cover on a one-mile buffer, east of the Rio Grande on the Texas side of the Mexico/United States border. Water-quality data associated with the herbicide treatment were collected from a segment of the Rio Grande in conjunction with the acquisition of the imagery data. The water-quality data are available in a separate USGS data release (Crow, 2021).

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  "geospatial"
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