GIS files

These are copies of the Shapefiles created by Pham and Biber for the most recent MS seagrass mapping project. The files are in ESRI ArcGIS 9.3 format and use WGS 84 datum with UTM 16N projection.

"GeneralSeagrass" is an overview of the spatial location of all seagrass datasets assimilated in this project as of 2012. It can be viewed directly in Google Earth. It is important to understand that this map represents a cumulative representation of all the locations that seagrasses were found to be present in the historical record (1940 - 2011). It is NOT a representation of seagrass distribution in Nov 2012. Please be sure that this is clear, as the polygons as presented in this map would grossly overestimate the seagrass coverage present in recent years (post 2000). 

Specific GIS layers for given locations and dates of interest are available on request. Where possible the contact to the original source of the data will be provided, rather than any reworked files generated in the course of this project. Source data came from the various references outlined in the Background page as well as other databases and reports.