CARBONATE COASTS AS COMPLEX SYSTEMS:A CASE STUDY FROM ANDROS ISLAND, BAHAMAS

摘要

Tidal wetlands and marshes are extremely heterogeneous environments influenced byrna range of variables acting across several spatial and temporal scales. This study explores thernhypothesis that the carbonate tidal flats of Andros Island, Bahamas, are complex systems.rnUtilizing remote sensing data, we quantified habitat and tidal creek network patterns using a GISrnand compared recent imagery with historical aerial photos. The results illustrate the presence ofrnfractals in the size and spatial configuration of habitats and in the self-similar nature of creekrnnetworks. Similarly, temporal divergence (increase in complexity) through time is suggested byrnhigher entropy in active creek networks relative to stabilized networks. These results arernconsistent with the model of these coasts as the products of feedback and non-linearities,rnhallmarks of chaotic systems. Understanding and quantifying the morphometrics and dynamicsrnof modern wetland and marsh systems provides important data for predicting future responses tornexternal change, as well as understanding the subtleties of the history of this, and perhaps other,rnlow energy coastal systems, although important questions remain unanswered.