MAIN OFFICE
665 SE 10th Street, Suite 104
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
Phone 954.591.1219
Fax 954.653.2981
data collector or a Trimble GeoXM Handheld DGPS with patch antennae and Trimble TerraSync software.
Seagrass surveys must be completed during the seagrass growing season for acceptance by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and National Marine Fisheries Service requirements (NMFS).
CEG scientists specialize in seagrass mapping and monitoring techniques used to provide information on seagrass and macroalgal areal cover, density, species composition, condition and spatial and temporal variability of seagrass habitats. Assessments of areal cover, density and condition are carried out using a combination of aerial mapping, aerial photographic interpretation techniques and in situ monitoring. In situ assessment involves point quadrat samples using a gridded quadrat for the evaluation of percent cover and short shoot counts to quantitatively assess seagrass density and species composition. This information is used to develop comprehensive seagrass habitat maps for application in impact evaluation and mitigation design. Our scientists are also experienced in rapid visual assessment protocols for visual estimation of percent cover such as line-intercept transect sampling and the semi-quantitative Braun-Blanquet abundance scale (Braun-Blanquet 1972), as well as the evaluation of seagrass population dynamics from the analysis of the age-frequency distribution of short shoots using leaf scar counting and leaf production rates.
Coastal Eco-Group scientists are proficient in the habitat requirements and sampling protocol for the federally listed species, Halophila johnsonii, outlined in the Halophila johnsonii Recovery Plan prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Our scientists have mapped extensive beds of H. johnsonii within Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Mapping of seagrass bed edges and Halophila patches is performed using a Trimble PRO-XR Pathfinder DGPS with Trimble TerraSync software installed on a 400 mz, hand-held recon
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Monitoring and Mapping
BRANCH OFFICE
513 US Highway 1 Suite 215 North Palm Beach, FL 33408