SBEP to Release Findings of Aerial Surveys of Sarasota Bay Seagrass

SARASOTA – The Southwest Florida Water Management District will release the findings of its most recent aerial surveys of Sarasota Bay seagrass in mid September. The surveys are part of the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program, which focuses on water quality improvement and habitat restoration in priority waterbodies including Sarasota Bay.

SBEP will send an update about the survey results when the information is officially released. Visit Sarasota Bay Today to read an interview with Kris Kaufman about the SWIM Program.

SBEP and its partners continue to devote resources to enhance seagrass monitoring, most recently through its support of Dr. Mary Christman with MCC Statistical Consulting and Dr. Kellie Dixon with Mote Marine Laboratory.

Dr. Christman is supporting aerial surveys with an analysis of existing seagrass monitoring data focused on species composition, density, changes at the edges of the grass beds, and other parameters. The analysis will help resource managers better understand seagrass habitat in Sarasota Bay. Dr. Christman is working on revisions to her report ahead of a presentation to the SBEP Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on September 4.

Dr. Dixon’s work at Mote Marine Laboratory to develop an optical model for Sarasota Bay seagrass provides a management tool that will improve our ability to assess water clarity using existing water quality monitoring program data. The information will allow resource managers to relate large scale changes in seagrass cover observed in SWFWMD aerial imagery to long-term changes in water quality within that part of the Bay. Dr. Dixon will present her model to the TAC as early as December.