December 2024: Leila Hashemi-Beni
Associate Professor, College of Science and Technology, North Carolina A&T State University
Exploring the Value of Wetlands Across North Carolina
“Wetlands provide flood protection by absorbing water and reducing flooding which helps communities minimize the damage to infrastructure, homes, and businesses, especially in the areas that are hit by hurricanes and heavy rain and other flood prone areas.”
Leila Hashemi-Beni
Why should wetland restoration be one of the primary flood mitigation practices in NC and what are the potential challenges?
Wetlands act like a natural sponge by soaking in or absorbing rainwater and slowing down the runoff. That’s helpful for reducing downstream flooding. In this way the wetland is considered a natural flood mitigation strategy, especially in North Carolina, given the geography we have in the state and given the recent storms and hurricanes that are happening here. This is especially true in the coastal area where wetlands provide a buffer against the rising sea levels and incoming storms which protect inland areas and communities.
Regarding the cons, everything, even the best solution, always has some limitations. I believe that wetlands won’t have the same effectiveness everywhere and will always depend on natural characteristics such as location, soil type or ground capacity for holding water. For this reason, it’s not a permanent solution that we can replace engineering solutions with. It would be beneficial to go with a hybrid solution, partial wetland and partial engineering. Additionally, we must consider the maintenance costs that come with natural solutions, as well as land use conflict. The land that wetlands occupy is often repurposed for agricultural use and taking that away can have an impact on local economies. In general, I believe that the benefits of wetland mitigation are very helpful for the community.
How will wetlands restoration projects impact North Carolina residents?
Wetlands provide flood protection by absorbing water and reducing flooding which helps communities minimize the damage to infrastructure, homes, and businesses, especially in the areas that are hit by hurricanes and heavy rain and other flood prone areas. In our research we have also found that wetlands are very helpful for filtering pollution. They are essentially creating cleaner water which benefits public health and is beneficial to NC communities. Wetland restoration also aids in climate resiliency. When considering the global changes we are seeing in climate, wetland restoration is one of the natural infrastructure practices that really can help and help communities adapt to sea level rise and extreme weather, especially in North Carolina.
What is WIP (Wetland Intrinsic Potential), how does it work and how can it be applied for future wetland projects in the future?
This is what we are doing for the North Carolina Collaboratory. WIP, or Wetland Intrinsic Potential, is the model or tool that assesses the area’s natural ability to support wetland ecosystems. We are not looking at business or external factors but focusing more on the land itself. The WIP tool integrates these environmental factors to identify areas with the highest potential for wetland projects.
This involves exploring different tactics for wetland creation, restoration, and conservation. In GIS, this is referred to as land suitability analysis, similarly, the WIP analyzes different environmental factors for wetlands. Some of the main factors include hydrology—such as checking for the presence of water and understanding the flow, as water flow is essential for wetlands. Soil characteristics are also critical, as they help determine if the soil can sustain wetland plants. Topography, including elevation and slope, plays a significant role; for instance, flat or low-lying areas are ideal for retaining water in wetlands. Vegetation is another key factor, as native or wetland-specific plants are essential for supporting the ecosystem. This analysis is invaluable for selecting the most suitable sites for flood mitigation and planning land use to benefit both the environment and the community.
How do you think the impact of Hurricane Helene will affect current wetlands and the possible creation of new wetlands?
Our project focuses on utilizing UAVs, remote sensing, and machine learning to monitor environmental changes over time. With extensive temporal data from UAVs and satellite imagery, we can track changes caused by events like Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Helene, both of which significantly impacted North Carolina. These hurricanes reroute rivers and reshape land, resulting in two distinct effects:
- a negative impact on existing wetlands due to altered water paths, which can damage wetlands’ ability to absorb water, filter pollutants, or support ecosystems; and
- the potential creation of new wetlands as rivers form new floodplains and water pools.
However, further tracking is necessary to confirm whether these new locations are suitable for wetland development.
With a background in remote sensing and GIS, I specialize in processing data for environmental management. Satellite imagery continuously monitors wetlands, and free data, combined with UAV-collected data, supports mapping changes over time. This technology tracks floodplain changes, analyzes water levels and soil moisture, and predicts flooding to determine whether new wetlands can or should be developed. Satellite and UAV platforms equipped with multispectral or hyperspectral sensors assess vegetation health and wetland conditions, providing high-resolution data critical for planning restoration projects. Using machine learning, we efficiently process large datasets, detect wetland changes, and identify flooding with precision, enabling accurate tracking of wetland dynamics and informing flood mitigation strategies.