Residential expansion as a continental threat to U.S. coastal ecosystems

Abstract

Spatially extensive analysis of satellite, climate, and census data reveals human-environment interactions of regional or continental concern in the United States. A grid-based principal components analysis of Bureau of Census variables revealed two independent demographic phenomena, a-settlement reflecting traditional human settlement patterns and p-settlement describing relative population growth correlated with recent construction in non-agricultural areas, notably in coastal, desert, and "recreational" counties and around expanding metropolitan areas. Regression tree analysis showed that p-settlement was differentially associated with five distinct combinations of seasonality, summer heat or cool, intensity of agriculture, and extent of "barren" land. Beta-settlement was greatest in coastal and desert areas, and coincided with national concentrations of threatened and endangered species.

Citation

Bartlett, J.G.; Mageean, D.M.; O''Connor, R.J. 2000. Residential expansion as a continental threat to U.S. coastal ecosystems. Population and Environment: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Volume 21, Number 5