Alabama 2019 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Field points

This 2019 data set consists of GPS point data documenting the location, species composition, and other habitat characteristics of submerged aquatic vegetation beds in coastal Alabama, including Mississippi Sound, Mobile Bay, Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mississippi Sound, Little Lagoon, Perdido Bay, and their communicating tributaries. Field data were collected as part of a Tier 1 remote sensing investigation of SAV distribution using summer 2019 ortho imagery as a base map. Species identifications were made through in-situ observations or hand collected and identified in the field or laboratory. Depth (m) was measured with a graded sounding pole. Field surveys began in August 2019 and continued to mid-November, assessing a total of 643 field points. Additional locations were visited in the spring of 2020 to survey sites not inspected during 2019, or return to previously surveyed areas to collect additional data. Areas inspected in 2020 included East Fowl River, upper Dog River, upper Perdido Bay, and western Mississippi Sound. In total, field data were collected at 843 locations.