Introduction:
This site reports the
results of a seven-year cooperative effort completed in 1998, between the
National Ocean Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
to map the types and extent of benthic habitats within the Florida Keys.
It also announces the completion and content of two products: an Atlas and
this website.
Benthic habitats are places on
or near the sea floor where
aquatic organisms live. These
beds of seagrass, areas of mud
and sand, and coral reefs
provide food and shelter to a rich array
of animals. Together, they form the
Florida Keys coral
ecosystem.
A shallow water reef scene - Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
The Florida Keys are the third largest barrier reef ecosystem in the world and the only barrier reef ecosystem in the United States. The preservation of this ecosystem, especially its coral reefs, is a National priority. This ecosystem is an attractive environment for many recreational, commercial and scientific activities, and is critical to the tourist economy of South Florida.
Precise mapping of benthic habitats is essential for developing management strategies that balance the protection of these habitats with their use. Accurate maps of these areas enable resource managers to make informed decisions about the use and protection of the resources.
The benthic habitats of the
Florida Keys were mapped from a
series of 450 aerial photographs.
Ecologists outlined the boundaries of
specific habitat types by interpreting color patterns on the photographs.
Benthic habitats were classified into
four major categories—corals,
seagrasses, hardbottom, and bare
substrate—and 24 subcategories, such
as sparse seagrass and patch reef.
Habitat boundaries were georeferenced
and digitized to create computer maps.
These digital data were then incorporated
into a geographic information
system for direct electronic mapping.
A summary document describing this mapping effort is available in Portable Document Format (pdf) which can be read and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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