Abstract
Coastal environments are dynamic areas containing ecosystems such as estuaries, mangrove forests, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and rocky shorelines that can be vulnerable to a multitude of factors, including human use. Understanding how humans impact these areas is important for effectively managing them.The objective is to investigate the effects of boat wakes on turbidity within seagrass beds compared to wind waves at two sites within Estero Bay, Florida. The two sites are located in the New Pass area of Estero Bay, one near a mangrove island with limited fetch and one in an area not protected by a mangrove island with a larger fetch. Pressure sensors, a multiparameter sonde, and an acoustic doppler current profiler were used to collect water depth, significant wave height, turbidity, and suspended sediment data seasonally for one year, from September 2022 to August 2023. Boat wakes and wind waves were identified from the data. Additional objectives were to determine the effects of tides on turbidity and determine the difference in sediment composition within and out of seagrass beds.
Two transects were set seasonally for one year, resulting in eight events. Differences in water depth between the two sites were found, and there was no difference in the occurrence of boat wakes between the two sites. Boat wakes contributed to higher significant wave heights, however they could not be pinpointed as having a significantly higher effect on turbidity than wind waves. No singular tidal phase contributed to turbidity, and the sediment composition within and out of the seagrass beds did not change. Seasonal differences and other physical factors may have a larger effect on turbidity besides boat wake activity.
