ASSESSING IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT ON CHATHAM COUNTY ON THE GEORGIA COAST

This study is part of a three-year undergraduate research experience funded by the National Science Foundation (ACRES). The overall goal of this study is to analyze sediment texture, sediment composition, deposition rates and the sediment geochemistry of marshes along the Georgia coast. The coastal area is rich in natural resources that include barrier islands, marshlands, rivers, estuaries and a diverse host of flora and fauna.  Coastal development in Georgia, like the rest of the United States, has increased dramatically in the last 10 years. This study assesses temporal and spatial development in Chatham County and evaluates the impacts on coastal ecosystems.

Development in Chatham County was evaluated using historical parcel maps, land use classification, GIS applications, and demographic profiles. Decreasing parcel sizes are observed. This usually indicates the area becoming more densely populated. Parcel maps also reveal the prior ownership of land, such as large industrial complexes that could be responsible for point-source pollution. Land was classified into four basic categories: urban-developed, undeveloped, wetlands, and water using Erdas Imagine software. Current development was assessed with the use of GIS software. The overlay function was used to create different layers on top of one another to review development in proximity to coastal wetlands. The layers created are linear hydrography, roads and transportation networks, urbanized areas, drainage basins, census block population density, and land use classification. Demographic profiles show an increase in population and population density in Chatham County since the first development in the 1700's. Chatham County is home to eight incorporated municipalities and is the most urbanized county on the Georgia coast. Increases in development are directly related to population increases. Dead marsh zones were also recently investigated throughout the coastal region to assess the role of development in these recent features.