diverse range of vegetation types was classified
can be used to help designate and prioritize areas
and mapped, including barrens, halophytic wet
for remediation.
(This is a truncated version of the Introduction.
meadows, marsh, brackish pondweed, sedge
No abstract was provided.)
meadows, sedge bog, marine alga, scrub-shrub,
and woodland. The flora of ERF consists of about
Racine, C.H., and M. Brouillette (1995) Ecologi-
57 species of vascular plants, many of which occur
cal inventory of Eagle River Flats, Alaska. In
in other Cook Inlet salt marshes. Plant species
Interagency expanded site investigation: Evaluation of
diversity is low except on a few higher relict
white phosphorus contamination and potential treat-
ridges. Water bodies include intermittent ponds,
ability at Eagle River Flats, Alaska (C.H. Racine and
rivers, permanent ponds, wet swales, tidal gullies,
D. Cate, Ed.). CRREL Contract Report to U.S.
and drainageways. Bird species use is described
Army, Alaska, Directorate of Public Works, FY94
for each of 12 habitat classes.
Final Report, p. 2552.
Field studies, mapping, and evaluation of the
Racine, C.H., P. Robinson, and J. Mullen (1996)
terrain (vegetation, topography, soils, water bod-
The Eagle River Flats spatial database. In Inter-
ies, and disturbance) in Eagle River Flats, an 865-ha
agency expanded site investigation: Evaluation of
estuarine salt marsh and artillery impact area on
white phosphorus contamination and potential treat-
upper Cook Inlet, were conducted in order to bet-
ability at Eagle River Flats, Alaska (C.H. Racine and
ter characterize the ERF ecosystem, to help evalu-
D. Cate, Ed.). CRREL Contract Report to U.S.
ate white phosphorus distribution, persistence,
Army, Alaska, Directorate of Public Works, FY95
and ecological risk, and to provide a baseline for
Final Report, p. 365387.
evaluating and predicting the future effects of
This report describes the construction, use, and
remediation.
contents of the Eagle River Flats (ERF) GIS (geo-
Field transects from 100 to 1500 m long were
graphic information system) database. The pur-
positioned across the major environmental gradi-
pose of the database is to help make and docu-
ents and sampled at intervals of 2040 m for vege-
ment decisions concerning the designation of WP
tation, topography (elevation), soil texture, water
"hotspots" to be treated, the selection of treatment
bodies, and disturbance (craters). The results of
methods to be used, and the success of the cleanup
this study and air-photo interpretation were used
effort. At present, the database is designed primar-
to describe, classify, and map into a GIS the
ily to identify hotspots to be treated, using a water-
derived terrainvegetation units. These units
fowl risk assessmentexposure framework. The
were also evaluated in terms of their habitat use,
database includes both GIS coverages in ARC/
potential to contain and store white phosphorus,
INFO and ARC VIEW, or both, and tabular spread-
and their susceptibility to disturbance.
sheet data residing on computers in the CRREL
Surface elevations decrease by 0.5 to 1 m over a
ERF GIS lab. Sharing of this database with other
distance of about 5001000 m back from the
groups was initiated in an attempt to conduct
levees (at about 5.0-m elevation) along Eagle
analyses and make crucial decisions concerning
River into the pond/marsh zone at elevations of
hotspot location and waterfowl risk assessment.
4.04.6 m. The surface materials contain increas-
The database was originally started in 1993 to
show the features of ERF (waterbodies, tidal gul-
ing fractions of clay-sized sediment from the
levees into the ponds. Ponds with their bottom
lies, vegetationhabitat, boundaries, and craters)
elevations below 4.54.7 m are permanently
in relation to sediment and water samples, collect-
floodedsaturated and therefore the opportunity
ed and analyzed for white phosphorus.
Much of the ERF GIS database effort during
ing of the permanent ponds and marshes will
1995 centered on the entry of waterfowl census,
remove most food items (seeds, invertebrates,
telemetry, and mortality data, collected over the
and pondweed) and create more areas of open
past 3 to 4 years, to locate areas that waterfowl use
water.
and therefore exposure to WP (if present) is high.
Seven large landscape zones and 15 landform
In addition, the database for WP samples was
vegetation classes were recognized, described,
updated and rebuilt to make analyses easier. The
and mapped. Three zones (mudflat/gully, pond/
primary coverages include ERF natural features,
marsh, and interior lowland) account for about
white phosphorus sampling data (for 2549 point
80% of the area of ERF. Other zones include river-
samples), waterfowl mortality sampling (1254
ine, border, coastal, and interior sedge meadow. A
carcass point locations monitored in 1992, 1993,
54
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