Phragmites australis ssp. australis is an invasive plant that has created monocultures in tens of thousands of acres of Utah’s limited wetlands. It is incredibly resilient, outcompetes native flora, and displaces native animals like nesting migratory birds. Due to its large size and high leaf area, Phragmites likely increases evapotranspiration, with potentially dire consequences to the shrinking Great Salt Lake and nearby vulnerable communities that are subject to dust events. To combat this, precise and actionable data regarding evapotranspiration, temperature, and other physicochemical parameters is paramount. Our objectives were to 1) develop an automated data analysis pipeline using R to process and visualize high-frequency data, 2) validate evapotranspiration data with OpenET, 3) determine if evapotranspiration is significantly different in Phragmites-dominated wetlands compared to those where Phragmites has been removed, and 4) create a user-friendly program or scripts for replicable data analysis (graphs and plots included). The pipeline uses RStudio for data processing, utilizing tools like ggplot2 for visualization and dplyr for data manipulation. Advanced techniques such as regression modeling and cross-validation ensure robust and accurate results. These preprocessing and analysis methods enhance data quality, automate workflows, and make the pipeline adaptable for other environmental datasets.
The development of the automated pipeline will streamline data preprocessing and analysis, enabling researchers to handle large datasets and reduce manual errors. By validating OpenET data against eddy covariance measurements, this project ensures higher accuracy in estimating evapotranspiration trends. These data will directly support conservation strategies by improving wetland hydrological models and assisting in developing effective management techniques for controlling Phragmites. The pipeline and resulting data will be shared with local management agencies in Utah and the Nature Conservancy, informing future research and improving wetland water budgets.