Impacts of wetness enhancement measures on the hydrology of a lowland wetland: Marsh Gibbon case study

Impacts of artificial enhancement schemes on the hydrology of the River Ray at Marsh Gibbon near Bicester, Oxfordshire in the UK are examined. The mea sures will aim to raise the water levels, or retain the flood waters, with the intention of enhancing the status of the wetland vegetation. However, t his must be achieved within the constraints of the existing patterns of lan d use, land tenure, and infrastructure. The use of hydrological models to p redict the flows in the catchment, and the construction of a hydraulic mode l to define the height of the flood waters, is described, and the impacts o n the floodplain then mapped. Crucial to such studies is the collection of detailed topographic information. Experience with the use of GPS surveying systems in this environment is described. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.