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Quantifying Patterns in Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Intertidal Native and Non-Indigenous Eelgrass in Yaquina Estuary, Oregon: 1997 – 2012
Citation:
Clinton, Pat, D. Young, D. Specht, AND TChris MochonCollura. Quantifying Patterns in Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Intertidal Native and Non-Indigenous Eelgrass in Yaquina Estuary, Oregon: 1997 – 2012. Presented at Society for Conservation GIS Conference, Monterey, CA, July 17 - 19, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation of scientific information at conference sponsored by NOAA's Coastal Services Center. The topics will be of interest to coastal planners and ecosystems services researchers.
Description:
Intertidal native eelgrass Zostera marina and non-indigenous dwarf eelgrass Z. japonica in lower Yaquina estuary, Oregon were mapped between 1997 and 2012. Annual color infrared aerial photographs acquired annually between 1997 and 2007 were used to classify distributions of the two congeners. Seasonal changes in area of cover determined from monthly ground surveys were also mapped using stratified random sampling and GPS perimeter mapping on foot and hovercraft. Aerial image classification provided high resolution and synoptic mapping while GPS surveys afforded higher temporal resolution in selected study areas. Area of non-indigenous dwarf eelgrass Z. japonica increased exponentially over the study period while no significant change in the native eelgrass Zostera marina was observed. A large seasonal change in area of the invasive species was also measured showing a ten-fold increase in area from winter to summer.