Remote Sensing of Water Turbidity and Sedimentation in Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay

A decline in water clarity in Florida Bay has been observed following the seagrass dieoffs starting in the late 1980's. Algal blooms and discolored water have been reported in Florida Bay over the last several years and factors such as resuspension of material and nutrients from the bottom have been suggested as a cause. Monthly monitoring programs by Florida International University (FIU) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) have provided documentation of blooms through chlorophyll measurements. This study used remote sensing to examine resuspension events, the distribution of turbid water and changes in the patterns of water clarity in the Bay.

This project used data collected by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on water reflectance for the Florida Bay region over the 12-year period from July 1985 to September 1997, and field data on light attenuation and changes in bottom cover.