As population pressure increases in the east coast cities of Florida, so do the anthropogenic effects on its natural ecosystems. In an effort to maintain ecologically and commercially valuable habitats such as seagrasses (Halophila johnsonii) and mangroves (Rhizophora mangle), environmentalists and engineers are attempting a new technique for restoration. In the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), the need to replace the seagrass lost during recent bridge construction has lead to a unique method for mitigation involving the transformation of a spoil island into a potential submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitat. Project plans for the spoil island (SL 15), near Ft. Pierce, include the removal of existing soil and vegetation in order to create a below-sea level, mangrove-fringed sanctuary for the recruitment of the surrounding SAV. Pre- and post- construction soil surveys, along with bathymetric maps and aerial photographs, will reveal landscape changes throughout the project and more significantly, the formation of a subaqueous soil. Previous SAV restoration efforts have been costly and often unsuccessful, yet few studies have examined relationships between SAV and the substrate it occupies. Approaching the SL 15 project from a pedological view might offer a new perspective into subaqueous soil and its ability to support plants.
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See more of The ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings (November 6-10, 2005)