Luis Lizcano Sandoval, a PhD student in the lab of Dr. Frank Muller-Karger, uses satellite imagery to study seagrass coverage.
“Tampa Bay seagrasses have experienced historical declines, but improvements in water quality over the past 30 years are promoting recovery. Variable surface water conditions have traditionally made mapping seagrass recovery with satellite imagery difficult. Here, we implemented an algorithm to select high-quality satellite images for seagrass mapping during times of viable water conditions to produce reliable maps. We were able to detect changes in seagrass coverage in the complex waters of Tampa Bay using Landsat and Sentinel-2 missions covering the period 1990-2021, matching other records and monitoring efforts. The use of multiple satellite sensors and images for multi-temporal seagrass mapping as shown in this paper is applicable to other areas. With this data, we expand our knowledge of the ecological status of seagrasses, demonstrating the effectiveness of conservation efforts for these ecosystems.” - Luis Lizcano Sandoval