Layers   Tools
Watershed
Digital Raster Graphic (DRG)
Lafayette
LULC
Historical(1970-1980's)
2001
Soil Type
SSURGO
STATSGO
Elevation Map
1 arc-second
1/3 arc-second
1/9 arc-second
Sensors
Rain Gauges
Streamflow Gauges
Soil Moisture Sensor
Sub-Watersheds
SG1
SG2
SG3
Measure distance: Select the line tool button, click on Google Earth at several points, click on Calculate Distance button. When done click Clear.
Measure Area: Select the line tool, click on several points in Google Earth to create a polygon, click the Calculate Area button. When done click Clear.
Result:
Line Tool  
 
Elevation
 

Working with a Real Rainfall Storm


Overview
In this session, we will work with a real rainfall storm that passed over the watershed area on October 7-10 of 2004. This storm is part of Tropical Storm (TS) Matthew which first formed as a tropical depression on October 8th and then made landfall on south Louisiana on October 10th bringing as much as 12 inches (300 mm) of rain to southern Louisiana. About a dozen homes were flooded in Terrebonne Parish after a canal levee burst, and streets in St. Bernard Parish were reportedly under 2 feet (60 cm) of water.

Your Task
Let us do some exploratory analysis on Tropical Storm Matthew; implement the following tasks and answer the following questions. Download and open this WORD file and use it as a template to record your answers.
  1. Watch the storm track at the Hurricane National Center (NWS) and the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP). Where on Louisiana’s coast did the storm make landing? How much was the maximum sustained wind associated with the storm?
  2. Read two news articles (1 and 2) on the storm and its impact on local residents in southeast Louisiana.  What type of damage did the storm cause?
  3. Visit NASA’s Earth Observatory and compare the two satellite images (prior and post-storm) and identify the flooded areas around the City of New Orleans.  Can you locate the areas with worst flooding?  Copy and paste the post-storm image into your word document and circle the area with the most flooding impact. 


    Not Mandatory for Freshmen
  4. Visit the Hydro-meteorological Prediction Center, National Weather Service (NWS) website.  Click on the images that show the total accumulated rainfall.  Which data sources were used to construct these storm-total fields?  Which areas received the most rainfall accumulations?  Are these the same areas that were most flooded according to the NASA’s Earth Observatory?  Explain/justify your answers.

Once finished, click Next to continue.

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