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through fall 2011). Also, the sampling grid for site 30 was relocated in 2008 due to the
majority of the grid cell positioned over the channel. Site 30 was moved to a similar,
nearby location, closer to Government Cut and the marine environment (See Figure 3). A
total of 2159 quadrats and 420 sites were sampled over the 14 collections (one quadrat
was not sampled in the fall of 2010).
2.1.2 Environmental and Physical Measurements
At each site, water depth, sediment depth and texture, and water quality (salinity,
temperature, and turbidity) were measured, the seabed flora composition and cover were
measured, and animal abundance and species composition were estimated (shrimp, crabs
and fish). Fauna will not be discussed in this study. Grid-cells were grouped into
location type: vicinity to coastline, channels, shallow areas, and no entry zones (Figure
3). Temperature and salinity at the surface and bottom were recorded using a WTW 330i
Conductivity Field Meter. A water sample was taken in clear water from just below the
surface upon arrival and was stored on ice to quantify turbidity that was measured later in
the laboratory using an HF Scientific DRT-15CE portable turbidimeter. Water depth was
recorded using a 3-m long polyvinyl chlorine (PVC) pole marked with 1-cm increments.
Sediment depth was measured at each site by a diver using a 3-m long, 1.2-cm diameter
PVC pole marked with 1-cm increments (see Table 1). Tides were recorded for each
sampling location based on tide charts from NOAA. Water depths are biased by
sampling restrictions in shallow water areas that limit access by boat to periods of
relatively deep water; no restrictions apply in deep waters (Robblee and Browder 2012).
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Table 1. Measurement and method for biotic and environmental and physical
measurements used to characterize sampling locations in FIAN (Robblee and Browder
2012).
2.1.2.1 Other Agency Data
In order to determine other possible influences on water quality within the POM
basin, data were collected from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
corporate environmental database, DBHYDRO, which stores historical and up-to-date
environmental data for 16 counties and many environmental agencies. The Department
of Environmental Resource Management (DERM) and the Southeast Environmental
Research Center (SERC) of Florida International University (FIU) each held water
quality monitoring contracts to support the District’s management of the Biscayne Bay
region, and subsequently the POM basin since 1978 (BBS Plan 2006). Only data
Method N Description
Braun-Blanquet Cover/Abundance
Cover/abundance
Estimate 3/6
Cover of seagrass and algae by species; plant
groupings (0.25m2
quadrat), Scores by species: .1
= individual, .5 = sparse, 1 = 0-5%, 2 = 5-25%, 3
= 25-50%, 4 = 50-75%, 5 = 75-100%.
Canopy Height 6 Maximum height (cm)
Sediment Texture 6
Estimate by feel/appearance: M = mud, SM =
sand/mud, MS = mud/sand, S = sand, CS = coarse
shell, R = rubble, HH = Halimeda hash,
combinations of these, etc.
Associated Habitat Data
Sediment Depth 1 Probe, sediment surface to bedrock (cm).
Water Depth 1 Depth when sampled (cm).
Associated Environmental Measurements
Surface Salinity 1 WTW 315i and 330i Conductivity Meters (psu)
Bottom Salinity 1 WTW 315i and 330i Conductivity Meters (psu)
Surface Temperature 1 WTW 315i and 330i Conductivity Meters (oC)
Bottom Temperature 1 WTW 315i and 330i Conductivity Meters (oC)
Water Turbidity 1 DRT 15C Turbidity meter (NTU)
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sampling that coincides with the USGS FIAN sampling period (2005-2011) and variables
associated with seagrass distribution were used in this study (refer to Table 2).
Between June 24, 1996 and September 22, 2008, SERC-FIU collected water
quality monitoring data for the Biscayne Bay water quality monitoring network project
(BISC), which included station BISC130, located near Dodge Island in POM (see Figure
4). SFWMD eventually discontinued the project. In 2008 DERM was chosen as the lead
agency for water studies in Biscayne Bay and has been collecting data from October 2009
until present day from the monitoring station BB22, located midway between the Miami
Marine Stadium and NOAA slip at Dodge Island (see Figure 4). There is a gap in the
data from October 2008 until October 2009 while the project was switching agencies.
The various parameters between monitoring agencies that did not display a continuous
record or were measured in different formats were deemed incompatible for data
comparison and excluded from this study. For example, ammonia was measured by both
agencies, but DERM measured it as total ammonia and FIU-SERC as dissolved ammonia
(RECOVER 2014). All data from SFWMD were collected on a monthly basis. Weather
data for the time period was obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) station located at Virginia Key, Miami, Florida. Sufficient data
available over the record period from the other monitoring agencies are listed in Table 2.
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Figure 4. Location of SFWMD monitoring sites BB22 (DERM) and BISC130 (SERCFIU) and the NOAA Weather Station located in the North Biscayne Bay region within
the POM basin
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Table 2. Environmental and physical measurements from all agencies used in this study
to characterize the POM sampling location.
2.2 Data Analysis
FIAN data were grouped by grid-cell, season, year, and vegetation type.
Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 (2011) and Microsoft
Excel (2010). Maps created using habitat variables including average canopy height,
cover/abundance of the four seagrass genera, Thalassia, Halodule, Syringodium and
Halophila, and average cover/abundance of four algal groups, red, brown, green, and
calcareous (Robblee and Browder 2012), were analyzed for noticeable changes among
sampling collections.
The presence/absence of grass and algae were also calculated across years and
between seasons for total quadrats (N = 2169) and sites (N = 420) sampled over the study
Agency Sample Years Location Variables
FIAN 2005-2011
30 monitoring
hexagonal grid sites
in the POM basin
(see Figure 3)
seagrass and algae cover-density (#/m2