Tidal Flats in Florida

Tidal flats are non-vegetated areas of sand or mud protected from wave action and composed primarily of mud transported by tidal channels. An important characteristic of the tidal flat environment is its alternating tidal cycle of submergence and exposure to the atmosphere. This GIS data set was created to show a statewide representation of unvegetated tidal flats, compiled from the best available sources. The sources included individual seagrass mapping studies and National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) data for Florida. The NWI was ERASEd using more recent data sources that showed some areas were indeed vegetated. See Source Information for more details on how each source was used.