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Systematic Mapping of Bedrock and Habitats along the Florida Reef Tract—Central Key Largo to Halfmoon Shoal (Gulf of Mexico)

USGS Professional Paper 1751

by Barbara H. Lidz, Christopher D. Reich, and Eugene A. Shinn

Introduction: Table of Contents Project Overview Project Objective Geologic Setting Primary Datasets Primary Products - Overview Maps & Evolution Overview: Introduction Depth to Pleistocene Bedrock Surface Reef & Sediment Thickness Benthic Ecosystems & Environments Sedimentary Grains in 1989 Summary Illustration Index Map Evolution Overview Tile-by-Tile Analysis Organization of Report Tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7/8, 9/10, 11 Summary Acknowledg- ments References Disclaimer Related Publications

Tile 7/8 Geography Sector-Specific Studies Natural Stressors: Atmospheric, Terrestrial, and Oceanic Sources Introduction Natural Stressors Atmospheric Sources Terrestrial Sources Oceanic Sources Hurricanes, Storm Surge, and Rising Sea Level Geologic Highlights Margin Evolution Flooding the Florida Shelf Addendum Ephemeral Islands and Lighthouses Natural Stressors: The concept behind establishing National Marine Sanctuaries is to manage, protect, and preserve the natural resources of that part of the ecosystem that falls within Sanctuary boundaries (e.g., Wilkinson, 1993). Naval personnel have long described a tool or method that did not work as being as "useless as a screen door in a submarine" (Jameson et al., 2002, p. 1177). In the context of marine sanctuaries, the screen-door hypothesis centers on external stressors from atmospheric, terrestrial, and oceanic sources, all of which can degrade the environment and compromise protection. Particularly sensitive are those organisms such as coral reefs that cannot relocate to a more favorable setting. For long-term stewardship efforts, then, it is important to understand how stressor sources enable entry of pollutants to the ecosystem. Coral reefs require clear, warm, low-nutrient, open-ocean waters to survive, yet they are bounded by the three screen doors: atmospheric, terrestrial, and oceanic stressor sources. Sanctuary decision makers might have some success on managing the terrestrial side (Causey, 2002), but atmospheric and oceanic sides usually involve large-scale national and international problems (Jameson et al., 2002). Certainly, managing local human activities is beneficial to the reefs (Table 1). continue to: Atmospheric Sources

Coastal & Marine Geology Program > Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies > Professional Paper 1751