Abstract The Great Dismal Swamp (GDS) is a 45,000-ha state and federally protected Coastal Plain peatland located on the border of North Carolina and Virginia that contains stands of Bald cypress and the globally threatened Atlantic white cedar. Centuries of drainage and logging have substantially altered the hydrology of the GDS, negatively affecting its ecosystem structure and function. To restore a seasonally flooded, saturated hydrologic regime to portions of the swamp, adjustable water control structures (WCS) were installed at strategic locations within existing drainage ditches. The objective of this study was to determine if the installation of the WCSs significantly altered the hydropatterns of two target restoration areas, resulting in hydrologic conditions comparable to nearby reference sites with desired forest communities. The water table (WT) was monitored for three years prior to WCS installation (pre-WCS) and three years after WCS installation (post-WCS). Comparison of WT data from the pre and post-WCS periods, using jurisdictional wetland criteria and empirical cumulative distribution functions (ECDFs), indicated increased saturated conditions within the target restoration areas following installation of the WCS. Paired Before-After Control-Impact (BACIP) statistical analysis revealed the WCS installation had a significant positive impact on WT levels in the target restoration areas relative to the reference sites. Hydrologic restoration will aid the effort to restore target forest communities within the swamp, reduce fire susceptibility, prevent peat oxidation, maintain carbon storage, and reduce non-target vegetation competition.

中文翻译：

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控制结构对大萧条沼泽内水文恢复的影响

摘要 The Great Dismal Swamp (GDS) 是一个占地 45,000 公顷的州和受联邦保护的沿海平原泥炭地，位于北卡罗来纳州和弗吉尼亚州的边界，其中包含秃柏林和全球受威胁的大西洋白雪松。几个世纪的排水和伐木已经大大改变了 GDS 的水文，对其生态系统结构和功能产生了负面影响。为了恢复沼泽部分季节性洪水、饱和的水文状况，在现有排水沟内的战略位置安装了可调节的水控制结构 (WCS)。本研究的目的是确定 WCS 的安装是否显着改变了两个目标恢复区的水文格局，导致水文条件与附近具有所需森林群落的参考点相当。在 WCS 安装之前（WCS 之前）和 WCS 安装之后三年（WCS 之后）对地下水位 (WT) 进行了监测。使用辖区湿地标准和经验累积分布函数 (ECDF) 比较 WCS 前后时期的 WT 数据，表明安装 WCS 后目标恢复区域内的饱和条件增加。成对的前后控制影响 (BACIP) 统计分析显示，WCS 安装对目标恢复区域相对于参考站点的 WT 水平具有显着的积极影响。水文恢复将有助于恢复沼泽内的目标森林群落，降低火灾敏感性，防止泥炭氧化，维持碳储存，并减少非目标植被的竞争。