Model predictions of the total canopy cover and species composition of seagrass beds (including potential recovery areas) within the Florida Gulf Coast under contemporary environmental conditions (1997-2017) and two sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios (+50cm and +100cm above current)

These spatial datasets describe the total canopy cover and species composition of seagrasses in the Florida Gulf Coast at the 1-hectare scale according to model predictions for the contemporary period (mean annual summertime; 1997-2017) and two sea-level rise scenarios (SLR), including +50cm and +100cm above contemporary levels. Model predictions are parsed into separate data layers representing confirmed seagrass beds (i.e., areas that have been previously surveyed and found to have seagrass beds by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission aerial surveys between 1985 and 2019) and potential recovery areas (i.e., areas where seagrass beds are absent from FWCC maps but could potentially survive if restored according to seagrass model predictions). For more information about the methods used to develop model predictions see McHenry et al. (2021).Paper Citation: McHenry, J., Rassweiler, A., Hernan, G., Uejio, C. K., Pau, S., Dubel, A. K., & Lester, S. E. (2021). Modelling the biodiversity enhancement value of seagrass beds. Diversity and Distributions, 00, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13379Interactively view these datasets through our "Seagrass Biodiversity Enhancement Explorer" App deployed using RShiny (http://jenni fermchenry.shiny apps.io/seagrass_bev)