Investigations of Cyanobacterial Mats on Wind-Tidal Flats in the upper Laguna Madre and South Bay, Texas 2023-2025

Wind-tidal flats in the upper Laguna Madre on the shoreline of Padre Island, Texas, and in the South Bay at Boca Chica, Texas have sustained extensive damage from historical human use. Persistence of damages were assessed using historical aerial imagery and sediment depression depth measurements. The biological impacts of these legacy disturbances on cyanobacterial mat communities were evaluated using pigment analysis and microscopy. Five in situ experiments tested three complementary restoration approaches—elevation restoration, cyanobacterial mat restoration, and combined techniques—to evaluate their effectiveness in maintaining surface elevation and supporting mat development. Lastly, a culture-independent biomass production (CIBP) method was developed to cultivate cyanobacterial mats using sediments from local wind-tidal flats. This method was tested by comparing pigment concentrations and microscopic algal counts among control and experimental treatments.