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Use of digital multispectral videography to assess seagrass distribution in San Quintin Bay, Baja California, Mexico

January 1, 2004

Apparent threats to the spatial distribution of seagrass in San Quintín Bay prompted us to make a detailed assessment of habitats in the bay. Six coastal habitats and three seagrass subclasses were delineated using airborne digital multispectral videography (DMSV). Eelgrass, Zostera marina, was the predominant seagrass and covered 40% (1949 ha) of the areal extent of the bay in 1999. Eelgrass grew over a wide range of tidal depths from about –3.0 m mean lower low water (MLLW) to about 1.0 m MLLW, but greatest spatial extent occurred in intertidal areas –0.6 m to 1.0 m MLLW. Exposed-continuous (i.e., high density) eelgrass was the most abundant habitat in the bay. Widgeongrass, Ruppia maritima, was the only other seagrass present and covered 3% (136 ha) of the areal extent of the entire bay. Widgeongrass grew in single species stands in the upper intertidal (≥ 0.4 MLLW) and intermixed with eelgrass at lower tidal depths. Overall accuracy of the six habitat classes and three subclasses in the DMSV map was relatively high at 84%. Our detailed map of San Quintín Bay can be used in future change detection analyses to monitor the health of seagrasses in the bay.

Publication Year 2004
Title Use of digital multispectral videography to assess seagrass distribution in San Quintin Bay, Baja California, Mexico
DOI 10.7773/cm.v30i11.121
Authors David H. Ward, T. Lee Tibbitts, Alexandra Morton, Eduardo Carrera-Gonzalez, R. Kempka
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Ciencias Marinas
Index ID 70027089
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Alaska Science Center
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