RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Landscape Patterns and Their Effect on Stormwater Runoff in the Alabama and Mississippi Coastal Region
JF Landscape Journal
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 19
OP 39
DO 10.3368/lj.45.1.19
VO 45
IS 1
A1 Byahut, Sweta
A1 Rogers, Stephanie
A1 Nisbett, Joseph
A1 Anjikar, Ishan S.
A1 LeBleu, Charlene M.
YR 2026
UL http://lj.uwpress.org/content/45/1/19.abstract
AB This study demonstrates that green infrastructure (GI) landscape patterns provide stormwater runoff benefits in the Alabama and Mississippi coastal region; the study also provides insights for creating more resilient coastal communities using GI strategies and illuminates the role of GI and land development patterns in regulating floodplains within a regional setting. Landscape patterns across wetlands, vegetation, barren lands, and developed areas are analyzed to identify the types of landscapes that should be protected to mediate the impacts of local flooding. The methodology involved the application of Fragstats, ArcGIS, and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), followed by an analysis of correlations between variations in the runoff and landscape and development patterns using ordinary least square (OLS) regression. The results demonstrate that larger proportion and size, as well as more connected vegetation and wetlands at the regional scale, reduce peak runoff, thus confirming that effective GI conservation planning should focus on wetlands and wooded vegetation. Further, the study found that more connected developed lands are associated with reduced runoff, strengthening the case for compact development in regional land use planning from a flood mitigation perspective.