Open-File Report 2004-1449

December 2004

U. S. Department of the Interior

U. S. Geological Survey

data, such as displaying overlays of various databases. The need for historical 

and recent maps at regional and local 

scales has been identified as a priority 

item by agencies and ecosystem managers in the bay area. Broad-scale maps 

provide an overview of the region, 

whereas fine-scale maps provide details 

on specific aspects of the bay, such as 

water quality and elevation.

Our Most Precious Resource: 

Quality and Quantity of Fresh 

Water into Tampa Bay 

Freshwater discharge into Tampa 

Bay is critical for maintaining salinity 

gradients and water quality required 

to preserve ecosystem health. Little is 

known about the quality or quantity of 

groundwater seeping into the bay from 

local aquifers, or the impact of contaminants and sediments on water qualSix major components of the Tampa 

Bay Study focus on scientific needs 

of resource managers:

Overview

The U.S. Geological Surveyʼs Gulf 

of Mexico Integrated Science - Tampa 

Bay Study combines the expertise of 

federal, state, and local partners to 

address some of the most pressing 

ecological problems of the Tampa Bay 

estuary. This project serves as a template for integrated research projects in 

other coastal ecosystems in the nation. 

The Tampa Bay Study focuses on the 

scientific needs of the Bay, as identified 

by resource managers. 

Tampa Bay: A Resource for 

the Present and the Future

Tampa Bay, one of the Gulf of 

Mexicoʼs largest estuaries, exemplifies the environmental stresses that our 

nationʼs bays and estuaries face. More 

than 2 million people live in the Tampa 

Bay watershed, and the population continues to grow. Increased development 

demands more fresh water and creates 

greater air and water pollution. Effective resource management requires 

an understanding of how both natural 

changes and increased urbanization in 

the bay area will affect the health of 

Tampa Bay.

Maps for the Future: Regional 

and Local Scales

Over the past 50 years, Tampa Bay 

has undergone increased urbanization 

that has resulted in significant land-use 

changes. Scientists are documenting 

these changes by compiling and digitizing historical maps that show land-use 

changes and patterns of historical wetlands growth and loss, water, chemical, 

and biological data. These data are 

being entered into a geographic information system (GIS), which is a digital 

map that allows the user to interact with 

Tampa Bay Study area.

Tampa Bay provides essential habitat for 

many species of wildlife.

• Examining how natural and manmade physical changes affect 

ecosystem health through mapping and modeling;

• Identifying sources and quality 

of groundwater, surface water, 

and sediment;

• Determining current, historical, 

and pre-historical conditions in 

the bay to help serve as a guide 

for restoration planning;

• Assessing the natural and manmade changes affecting wetland 

health and restoration;

• Identifying and measuring 

the impact of urbanization on 

seafloor habitats;

• Providing a Web-based clearinghouse of information for scientists and the public, including 

a system that supports the work 

of those officials who must make 

decisions that affect the state of 

the bay.

Gulf of Mexico Integrated Science - Tampa Bay Study
http://gulfsci.usgs.gov

Kimberly Yates, Project Chief

U.S. Geological Survey

600 4th Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Phone: (727) 803-8747 x 3059

Email: kyates@usgs.gov

For more information, please contact:

the decades of pertinent data that have 

been collected by agencies and partners 

throughout Tampa Bay, are accessible 

in a Web-based format. Specifically 

in collaboration with our partners at 

the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, the 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Research 

Institute, and the University of South 

Florida, the USGS has developed a 

digital library of relevant Tampa Bay 

data and a user-friendly query system 

that support the work of officials who 

make decisions that affect the state of 

the bay. These tools can be found on 

the Gulf of Mexico Integrated Science, Tampa Bay Study Web site at 

http://gulfsci.usgs.gov. USGS scientists

are conducting research with partners 

and collaborators from 56 federal and 

state agencies, municipalities, universities, private agencies, and non-governmental organizations.

ity. In order to evaluate the watershedʼs 

influence on wetland and bay ecosystems, scientists within the USGS, 

partner agencies, and institutions are 

mapping sources of groundwater, sediments, and contaminants, and measuring their impact on water quality and 

bay health.

Wetlands of Tampa Bay: A 

Look into the Past to Predict 

the Future

The coastal wetlands around Tampa 

Bay are a critical interface between land 

and sea, providing habitat and nursery 

areas for a wide variety of plants and 

animals. Documentation of the formation and evolution of the wetlands and 

their flora and fauna provide the basis 

for predicting the future for wetlands 

in Tampa Bay. Cores of sediment 

taken from wetlands, and historical 

aerial photographs and maps, provide 

a window to the past. Historical and 

pre-historical information on wetlands, 

combined with the study of the current 

health of wetland vegetation and fish 

populations, are fundamental for planning and implementation of wetland 

restoration.

Healthy Habitats: Examining 

the Impact of Urbanization

Seafloor habitats, such as seagrass 

beds, provide essential habitat for fish 

and marine mammals, and are sensitive to water-quality changes. Whereas 

increased urbanization in the Tampa 

Bay area prompted a decline in seagrass 

beds, better management of nutrients 

entering the bay has also triggered a 

recovery. Researchers are currently 

examining the impact that other aspects 

of urbanization, including water quality 

and sediment quality, have on seagrass 

health.

Science of Tampa Bay in the 

Information Age

 Scientific information needs to 

be easily accessed by managers at all 

levels, from city planners to state and 

federal legislators. All of the scientific 

information from Tampa Bay that is 

being acquired in this project, as well as 

Sediment coring provides information 

about Tampa Bay’s past.

USGS scientists collecting fish species in coastal wetlands of Tampa Bay.

Eckerd College

FL Department of Environmental Protection

FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Gulf of Mexico Program

Hillsborough County, FL

Pinellas County, FL

Primary Partnering Agencies:

Southwest Florida Water Management District

Tampa Bay Estuary Program

University of Louisiana in Lafayette

University of South Florida

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers