Understanding the Impact of Changes to Coastal Prairie Landscapes on Watershed Response and Urban Flood Mitigation: A Case Study of the Katy Prairie in Houston, Texas

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dc.contributor.advisorBedient , Philip Ben_US
dc.creatorGarner, Morganen_US
dc.date.accessioned2020-01-15T22:00:23Zen_US
dc.date.available2020-01-15T22:00:23Zen_US
dc.date.created2020-05en_US
dc.date.issued2020-01-15en_US
dc.date.submittedMay 2020en_US
dc.date.updated2020-01-15T22:00:24Zen_US
dc.description.abstractPrairie landscapes are known to provide valuable ecosystem services, including floodwater retention, which have been widely studied for the Prairie Pothole Region and the Great Plains in the Midwestern United States. However, research specific to surface water ecosystem services provided by coastal prairies remains sparse. In particular, few hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling studies exist that explore the ability of coastal prairie to contribute to storm water mitigation in the flood-prone Gulf Coast region. This study employed H&H modeling to understand the impact of changes to overland characteristics of a remnant coastal prairie in Houston, Texas (the Katy Prairie) on its storm water detention and flood mitigation potential. Results from the fully distributed hydrologic modeling in this study have allowed quantification of the overland detention storage provided by native prairie vegetation, estimating an excess of 0.6 acre-ft/acre greater than current developmental standards for Harris County, Texas. This is one of the first quantitative studies proving that if coastal prairie is developed according to Harris County jurisdiction, rainfall-runoff would be exacerbated in the watershed. In addition, the unique, multi-faceted modeling regime has provided insight on the overland flow behaviors of prairie potholes, an inherent depression feature of prairie terrain, by demonstrating depression storage capacity for rainfall-runoff. Overall, this study has suggested rehabilitation of coastal prairie landscapes would provide substantial hydrologic benefits and may be a key aspect of a coastal resiliency plan in the face of climate change.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationGarner, Morgan. "Understanding the Impact of Changes to Coastal Prairie Landscapes on Watershed Response and Urban Flood Mitigation: A Case Study of the Katy Prairie in Houston, Texas." (2020) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/107968">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/107968</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/107968en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectHydrologyen_US
dc.subjectHydraulicsen_US
dc.subjectCoastal Prairieen_US
dc.subjectEcosystem Servicesen_US
dc.subjectFlood Mitigationen_US
dc.subjectDetention Storageen_US
dc.subjectDepression Storageen_US
dc.titleUnderstanding the Impact of Changes to Coastal Prairie Landscapes on Watershed Response and Urban Flood Mitigation: A Case Study of the Katy Prairie in Houston, Texasen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentCivil and Environmental Engineeringen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineeringen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelMastersen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen_US
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