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Seagrass Loss In Belize: Studies Of Turtlegrass (Thalassia Testudinum) Habitat Using Remote Sensing And Ground-Truth Data, Gary R. Gaston, Cole Easson, Greg Easson, Justin Janaskie, M.A. Ballas
Seagrass Loss In Belize: Studies Of Turtlegrass (Thalassia Testudinum) Habitat Using Remote Sensing And Ground-Truth Data, Gary R. Gaston, Cole Easson, Greg Easson, Justin Janaskie, M.A. Ballas
Gulf and Caribbean Research
Spatial and temporal change in turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) habitat of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve (SWCMR) in Belize were analyzed using satellite images backed up with ground-truth data. We had two pri-mary objectives. First, we wanted to determine areal expanse of seagrass across a large area (~12 km by 3 km) of the SWCMR, and address its change over time. We used paired satellite images taken during 2001 and 2005 to determine coverage by seagrass and measure temporal variables. These analyses recorded an overall seagrass loss of 1.8% (52.3 ha) during the 4 yr period. Secondly, we …