located within the following watersheds: Little Sarasota Bay Watershed, Sarasota Bay Watershed
Explore general as well as scientific information about the movement, chemistry and biology of area surface water environments.
This interactive map shows seagrass extents as they existed between 2002 and 2010. Use the slider to toggle the year being displayed to demonstrate how seagrass coverage has changed over time.
Source(s): Southwest Florida Water Management District
The Sarasota Bay study area is highly urbanized. Since the early 1900s, dredge and fill activities and various shoreline hardening projects have resulted in significant losses of ecologically important habitats. This information was gathered as part of a study to assess restoration opportunities in the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) watershed.
Learn more about shoreline morphology »
| Shore Morphology | Shoreline Length (ft) | Percentage of Shoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Beach | 4,228 | 2% |
| Bulkhead | 140,447 | 58% |
| Deep Wetland | 12,821 | 5% |
| Patchy Wetland | 3,473 | 1% |
| Riprap | 16,572 | 7% |
| Solid Wetland | 12,821 | 5% |
| Upland Shoreline | 3,567 | 1 |
Source(s): Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Vegetation sampling is the identification and quantification of plant species and communities. Vegetation sampling is a tool used in environmental assessments and can inform a myriad of assessment goals including biomass availability, water quality concerns, management benchmarks, and determining the introduction and establishment of invasive species. Sampling can be conducted via destructive or non-destructive methods. Learn more about vegetation sampling from the links and documents listed below.
Continuous Seagrass
Patchy Seagrass