Geology Reports⌕ Search
Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · 70114013

Assessment of acreage and vegetation change in Florida's Big Bend tidal wetlands using satellite imagery

Ellen A. Raabe·Richard P. Stumpf
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Fluctuations in sea level and impending development on the west coast of Florida have aroused concern for the relatively pristine tidal marshes of the Big Bend. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images for 1986 and 1995 are processed and evaluated for signs of change. The images cover 250 km of Florida's Big Bend Gulf Coast, encompassing 160,000 acres of tidal marshes. Change is detected using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land cover classification. The imagery shows negligible net loss or gain in the marsh over the 9-year period. However, regional changes in biomass are apparent and are due to natural disturbances such as low winter temperatures, fire, storm surge, and the conversion of forest to march. Within the marsh, the most prominent changes in NDVI and in land cover result from the recovery of mangroves from freezes, a decline of transitional upland vegetation, and susceptibility of the marsh edge and interior to variations in tidal flooding.

Explore related subjects

Book
90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 27.9773° to 30.3035° latitude; -84.4522° to -82.1337° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Ellen A. Raabe, Richard P. Stumpf. 1997. Assessment of acreage and vegetation change in Florida's Big Bend tidal wetlands using satellite imagery. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70114013

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2025

Freshwater and diadromous Fishes of Puerto Rico

Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of Puerto Rico describes the diversity of fishes in Puerto Rico’s freshwater environments and provides information on the history of research, management and conservation, and culture of fish and fisheries in Puerto Rico. This book’s catalog of fishes guides the reader in the identification of more than 50 native and nonnative species of fish from 22 families that occur in Puerto Rico’s freshwater lagoons, rivers, streams, and reservoirs. Each species account includes a map of known occurrences, and a description of each species’ morphological characteristics, biology, and distribution. Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of Puerto Rico is the result of decades of scientific research; however, it is intended to be accessible and useful to readers with a variety of backgrounds, including scientists, students, and outdoor enthusiasts such as recreational anglers and freshwater snorkelers. Conservation and management are underlying themes of Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of Puerto Rico . Though the main goal of this book is to be a resource for the identification of Puerto Rico’s freshwater fishes, and on their biology and ecology, it is also intended to increase awareness of threats to these fishes and their value to people and ecosystems.

Puerto Rico↗