RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012

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Florida

Southwest Florida

0 125 25062.5 Kilometers

´

A monitoring and data collection program is being developed for Estero

Bay in Southwest Florida. Using this data a preliminary map has been

created locating the sites that are ideal from an ecological standpoint for

seagrass restoration. Geostatistical Kriging was used to interpolate habitat

conditions throughout the bay. Data collection is continuing and the map

will be updated with additional data as it becomes available. Light, salinity

and temperature data will be collected for at least a year so that annual

cycles can be examined and reflected in the model. Light is the most

critical or limiting factor to seagrass growth in Southwest Florida and this

work will also help to elucidate what light levels are required on an annual

basis for seagrass in the bay to be healthy. Salinity and water temperature

will also be recorded at light sampling points to locate areas with salinity

regimes that can support at least one seagrass species throughout the year.

Many sites with more than 25% surface irradiance do not currently have

seagrass. We hope to add predicted locations where seagrass could be

restored into the future by adding in projected sea level rise. This approach

to identifying areas ideal for seagrass restoration can be applied to many

other areas in need of seagrass restoration and also to other ecosystems.

Abstract Objectives

•Stratified random sampling was used to identify 50 points in bay

•Data recorded at each site

• PAR (photosynthetically active radiation)

• Water Depth

• Salinity

• Water Temperature

• Dissolved Oxygen

• Sampling Time

•Weather data is also taken multiple times a day.

•Weather parameters recorded are:

• % Cloud Cover

• Barometric Pressure

• Humidity

• Air Temperature

• Wind Speed and Direction

•Data collection occurs over 2 days every 3 weeks

•PAR readings are paired, one on the surface and one 25 cm from the

bottom

• Between 10 am and 2 pm

• 3 replicate measurements are made more than 30 sec apart at

each site

•The percent of light available at the bottom is calculated for each reading

and then the 3 percentages obtained for that sampling event are averaged

Methods Results

Introduction

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all those who volunteered to help collect data in the

field. Including Corina Guevara, Joy Hazell, Bob Halstead, Andy Zebley,

Helene Hotaling, and Erin Benavides. This project would also not have

been possible without funding from the West Coast Inland Navigation

District and the UF School of Natural Resources and the Environment.

Habitat Suitability Index

•Identify areas of the bay that are suitable for seagrass restoration

•Which areas of the bay have sufficient light available at the bottom for the

seagrass to grow

•Need to know if there are times of the year when there is not enough light

available.

Seagrass is Important

•Sediment Stabilization

•Water filtration

•Protection from Storms

•Habitat and nursery for commercial and recreational fish species

Causes

Direct loss of seagrass

– Docks

– Marinas

– Navigation channels

– Increase in boating (particularly by inexperienced boaters)

Indirect causes of loss

– Eutrophication

– Sedimentation

– Changing salt/freshwater flow patterns

– Overfishing of large fish

– Climate change

– Sea level rise

Loss

In the last two decades the documented loss of seagrass has been 3.3

million hectares or 20% of total documented coverage in the world

Estimated 1,600 hectares needs to be restored SW Florida

Estero Bay

•Ft. Myers to the North and Naples to the south

•4,452 hectares

•1966 it was designated Florida’s first aquatic preserve

Site

1University of Florida School of Natural Resources and Environment 2University of Florida School of Forest Resources and Conservation

3West Coast Inland Navigation District

Hotaling A.*1, Swett R.2, Frazer T. 2, and Listowski C.3

Identifying Seagrass Restoration Sites Using Geostatistics

A Value

10

B Value ?

C Value

20

SITE 9/15-

9/16/2011

10/6-

10/7/2011

10/28-

10/29/2011

12/1-

12/2/2011

12/30-

12/31/2011

1/20-

1/21/2012

2/10-

2/11/2012 3/1/2012

3/22-

3/23/2012

4/14-

4/15/2012

5/4-

5/5/2012

Overall Average

% Light

0 16.9 1.2 25.9 31.6 20.6 24.2 28.6 21.3

1 50.0 82.1 32.9 29.2 14.9 28.0 53.9 28.3 39.9

2 26.5 25.9 44.8 0.9 12.1 23.7 22.3

4 47.1 68.3 53.7 49.6 51.0 8.8 54.2 47.5

5 20.7 32.8 35.3 12.2 22.5 28.1 25.3

6 16.1 51.9 52.8 5.2 14.0 21.1 26.8

7 42.9 57.4 64.1 44.3 27.2 2.0 40.9 39.8

8 69.9 65.7 54.5 35.3 45.1 60.9 69.3 57.2

10 63.2 59.6 53.2 48.8 32.7 42.6 39.1 53.2 49.0

11 60.2 43.1 52.0 48.6 3.1 36.1 45.3 41.2

12 28.6 11.0 27.3 29.7 19.9 19.2 31.0 23.8

13 28.2 96.3 33.1 30.6 11.1 9.5 32.6 34.5

14 72.5 53.0 57.7 50.4 7.6 33.9 51.5 46.7

17 65.0 59.5 62.3 54.3 45.6 47.7 37.3 58.2 53.7

18 22.5 14.4 22.7 21.7 20.9 27.0 20.8 21.4

20 8.2 133.6 68.4 57.3 66.9

21 30.4 48.6 44.7 41.5 16.5 24.9 41.6 35.4

22 9.4 25.6 18.7 23.2 14.4 12.4 26.1 12.4 17.8

23 12.8 15.7 12.7 4.8 28.1 4.8 31.5 72.9 22.9

24 105.5 11.7 88.7 53.4 40.4 66.9 54.8 58.0 59.9

25 9.2 12.6 30.1 15.7 16.8 11.8 31.4 10.5 17.3

26 46.4 30.9 23.3 27.3 34.8 25.4 20.0 31.8 18.1 28.7

27 13.5 45.0 7.7 9.6 3.2 35.2 19.0

28 7.9 8.5 35.1 10.6 20.8 6.1 24.4 14.7 9.2 9.1 14.6

29 37.3 59.3 42.8 54.7 34.3 37.6 22.0 41.2

30 39.8 40.2 43.5 54.7 46.1 42.2 47.7 44.9

31 23.6 33.1 52.1 50.3 53.7 52.1 35.6 42.9

32 7.3 46.4 22.3 20.9 13.2 8.3 16.9 19.3

33 4.7 14.3 9.5 16.2 5.2 3.7 5.1 6.9 8.2

34 40.0 40.9 36.2 34.4 46.1 36.8 56.3 49.1 42.5

35 83.5 53.3 33.3 62.2 31.6 43.6 43.5 50.1

37 14.9 13.3 47.0 37.6 28.9 28.8 30.0 42.9 7.5 27.9

38 19.2 12.1 67.5 42.4 19.9 20.9 26.8 8.3 27.1

39 19.7 32.0 60.5 40.4 41.0 32.1 40.6 21.6 15.3 33.7

40 51.4 41.2 50.5 51.0 29.7 27.8 33.8 43.5 41.1

41 27.5 29.7 25.2 32.1 53.8 15.4 38.0 30.1 31.5

42 46.5 25.2 32.3 28.9 52.0 44.1 25.8 36.4

43 34.0 1.6 2.2 16.4 16.3 7.4 187.8 38.0

44 41.5 33.6 4.4 51.4 38.2 59.6 52.6 42.9 23.0 38.6

45 32.1 39.6 66.6 50.4 44.2 39.3 44.1 45.4 26.4 43.1

47 63.5 32.4 37.0 36.8 40.7 59.2 55.7 33.8 44.9

48 67.4 30.1 35.6 34.5 52.0 42.4 43.7

49 61.8 43.6 45.2 35.3 36.9 46.3 46.5 45.1

50 32.5 10.6 77.2 26.7 37.7 24.5 21.1 16.1 30.8

51 87.5 44.6 34.4 43.3 44.3 60.2 51.9 29.6 49.5

52 29.9 25.2 27.3 18.8 21.7 26.4 27.3 28.1 25.6

53 70.7 42.7 29.5 43.5 46.6 48.5 46.2 33.3 45.1

56 28.4 29.3 67.0 48.2 38.8 40.2 25.9 16.9 36.9

57 51.3 38.5 25.5 35.2 35.3 25.2 40.4 35.6 35.9

58 0.8 1.5 5.6 4.9 1.8 8.3 10.8 9.7 5.4

Kriging

•Geostatistics- uses statistical theory and software to analyze data with

location coordinates

•Kriging allows you to predict values where no measurements have been

taken

•Need 40% of surface light at bottom to have a healthy seagrass bed

•Some species can be found at lower light levels

•Even though the bay is very shallow there are still many areas where there

is not enough light.