TABLE 4-4 



COASTAL LAND CATEGORIES 



Category 



Definition 



Undeveloped Upland 

 Developed Upland 



Undeveloped Lowland 



Developed Lowland 



Protected Lowland 



High Dunes 

 Exposed Beach 

 Sheltered Beach 

 Developed Exposed Beach 



Developed Sheltered Beach 



Freshwater Marsh 

 Salt Marsh 



Mangrove Swamp 



Tidal Flat 



Sheltered Water 

 Open Water 



Undeveloped upland above 3.5m elevation 



Upland with significant residential or 

 commercial development 



Land below 3.5 m elevation and above mean high 

 water spring tide (MHW Spring) 



Lowland with significant residential or 

 commercial development 



Lowland protected from inundation by a dike or 

 levee 



Extensive, large sand dunes 



Beach exposed to the open sea 



Beach sheltered from the open sea 



Exposed beach with significant residential or 

 commercial development 



Sheltered beach with significant residential or 

 commercial development 



Wetland having species intolerant of salt water 



Wetland having herbaceous species tolerant of 

 salt water 



Wetland composed of mangrove trees 



Muddy or rocky intertidal zone 



Water protected from the open sea 

 Water not protected from the open sea 



MODELING 



Prior Models 



A large number of models have been constructed for fresh- and saltwater wetlands (Day et al. 

 1973; Wiegert et al. 1975; Costanza et al. 1983; Mitsch et al. 1982; Costanza and Sklar 1985). 

 However, few of these models incorporate the spatial resolution desired in the present study. T\vo 

 notable exceptions are recent papers by Browder, Bartley, and Davis (1985) and Sklar, Costanza, 

 and Day (1985) on disintegration and habitat changes in the Louisiana coastal wetlands. No 

 previous models provided both the spatial resolution and the generality required for the present 

 study. 



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