RECOVER MAP 3.2.3.4 Large-Scale Remote Sensed SAV Monitoring Program; Florida Bay Seagrass Map C20302-A02

Current seagrass distribution and species composition in Florida Bay reflect decades of human impact on the hydrology of the Everglades and Florida Bay. Consequently, one widely accepted goal of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is the reestablishment of more natural seagrass distribution patterns in Florida Bay. Anecdotal observations indicate that, as a consequence of lower, and fluctuating salinity in the past, seagrass distribution was less continuous along the northern portion of Florida Bay and turtle grass was much less abundant. Seagrass scientists and water managers anticipate that restoration of more normal water flow patterns through the Everglades will lower salinities in northern Florida Bay causing shifts in seagrass spatial patterns and species composition.
A map of the current location and patterns of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) is needed as a baseline before water flow patterns are altered as planned in the CERP. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) developed a plan to begin mapping the SAV in Florida Bay in 2003 and perform landscape metrics analyses on several study areas. This two-pronged project will result in products that will be useful to a variety of researchers and managers as a view of the current status of SAV as well as a tool in assessing temporal changes in Florida Bay SAV.
The overall goals of this project are to 1) assess current seagrass distribution, abundance, and spatial patterns in Florida Bay and 2) provide current benchmarks against which the effects of hydrologic restoration activities can be measured. To those ends, this project has two principal objectives: 1. Construct a map of seagrass distribution from 1:24000 scale, natural color aerial photography flown in 2003; and 2. Develop and test a series of spatial metrics for use in measuring historic and future patterns in seagrass distribution and patchiness.