Climate and Weather Information

Drought Monitor:  https://www.drought.gov/states/georgia

The first resource I thought would be relevant is a drought monitor, since droughts can increase the chance of wildfires and change the structure of wetlands. NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System maps out the U.S. Drought Monitor, USDM 1-Week Change Map, Short-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index and Long-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index. The map utilizes five classifications for their Drought and Dryness Categories: abnormally dry (D0), moderate drought (D1), severe drought (D2), extreme drought (D3), exceptional drought (D4). Since the Blue Heron Nature Preserve contains Nancy Creek and surrounding wetlands, monitoring droughts is a vital preparedness and mitigation tool. 

Precipitation: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/past-weather/Atlanta%2C%20Georgia

Nancy Creek runs through the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, so monitoring precipitation is also essential. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information graphs the precipitation and the time series on a daily or yearly chart, using data points from different weather stations in Georgia. Monitoring precipitation is a great way to prepare for and anticipate flooding within the creek and the wetlands.

Streamflow: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ga&id=ww_current

Since Nancy Creek runs through the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, it would also be essential to monitor the streamflow of Nancy Creek. USGS' WaterWatch shows the conditions for Nancy Creek. It shows the water discharge in cfs (cubic feet/second), percentile, flood stage, hydrographs, peak, forecast, and rating. This website is a great tool for understanding how Nancy Creek can influence flooding in the area. When I looked into streamflow about Nancy Creek, this website allowed me to find the downstream current of Nancy Creek and where the water would flow: https://river-runner.samlearner.com/

Temperature: https://climatetoolbox.org/tool/climate-mapper

The Climate Toolbox is an encompassing tool that allows the user to research possible impact areas: climate, hydrology, agriculture, fire danger, and drought. The toolbox uses the temperature to analyze the Growing Degree Days, which estimate the growth of plants and insects during their growing season. This tool is essential to the Blue Heron Nature Preserve so the researchers can see how the temperature impacts the ecosystem.

Flooding: https://hub-gema-soc.opendata.arcgis.com/pages/flooding

Georgia Emergency Management Agency's ArcGIS flooding map is a great way to see the Georgia flood watches, warnings and advisories, and the Georgia river gauges (action stage, minoring flooding, moderate flooding, and major flooding). The flooding map also contains live flood sensors and floodplain maps. Similar to the NCEI tool, it is a great way to monitor the conditions of Nancy Creek and the wetlands.