The Applications of GIS in the Analysis of the Impacts of Human Activities on South Texas Watersheds

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Edmund C. Merem²  Sudha Yerramilli³  Yaw A. Twumasi¹  Joan M. Wesley²  Bennetta Robinson² 

[1] Department of Advanced Technologies, School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Alcorn State University, 1000 ASU Drive, Jackson, MS 39096, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jackson State University, 3825, Ridgewood Road, P.O. Box 23, Jackson, MS 39211, USA; E-Mails:;National Center for Bio Defense Communications, Jackson State University, Mississippi e-Center @ JSU, 1230 Raymond Road, Jackson, MS 39204, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: GIS;    watersheds;    agricultural watershed;    watershed management;    South Texas;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph8062418

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

With water resource planning assuming greater importance in environmental protection efforts, analyzing the health of agricultural watersheds using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) becomes essential for decision-makers in Southern Texas. Within the area, there exist numerous threats from conflicting land uses. These include the conversion of land formerly designated for agricultural purposes to other uses. Despite current efforts, anthropogenic factors are greatly contributing to the degradation of watersheds. Additionally, the activities of waste water facilities located in some of the counties, rising populations, and other socioeconomic variables are negatively impacting the quality of water in the agricultural watersheds. To map the location of these stressors spatially and the extent of their impacts across time, the paper adopts a mix scale method of temporal spatial analysis consisting of simple descriptive statistics. In terms of objectives, this research provides geo-spatial analysis of the effects of human activities on agricultural watersheds in Southern Texas and the factors fuelling the concerns under the purview of watershed management. The results point to growing ecosystem decline across time and a geographic cluster of counties experiencing environmental stress. Accordingly, the emergence of stressors such as rising population, increased use of fertilizer treatments on farm land, discharges of atmospheric pollutants and the large presence of municipal and industrial waste treatment facilities emitting pathogens and pesticides directly into the agricultural watersheds pose a growing threat to the quality of the watershed ecosystem.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.