Table of Contents
FIGURES
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Figure 1. Map of seagrass study area in Texas Coastal Bend region.
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Figure 2. Seagrass distribution in 1988 in upper Laguna Madre. From Quammen and Onug (1993).
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170
160 Mid-1950s 150 drought
Pier 21 (Galveston)
140
130
Port Isabel
120
110
100 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990
Year
Figure 3. Water level changes at Galveston Pier 21 and Port Isabel tide gauges. The drop in water levels in the mid-1950s reflects the severe drought during that period. Tide gauge data from Lyles et al. (1988) and NOAA.
Nueces River at Mathis
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995
Calender Year
Figure 4. Mean annual streamflow of the Nueces River at Mathis. Data from Texas Water Development Board and U.S. Geological Survey.
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Mission River at Refugio
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995
Calender Year
Figure 5. Mean annual streamflow of the Mission River at Refugio. Data from U.S. Geological Survey.
Aransas River at Skidmore
160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995
Calender Year
Figure 6. Mean annual streamflow of the Aransas River at Skidmore. Data from U.S. Geological Survey.
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Rockport Tide Levels
200
195
Mean Annual Sea Level (cm)
190 185 1.7 cm/yr
180 0.48 cm/yr 175 170 165
160 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Year
Figure 8. Rates of sea level rise for two periods at the Rockport tide gauge. Tide gauge data from NOAA.
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Figure 10. Map showing location of USACOE dredged channels and disposal areas in Redfish/Corpus Christi Bays region.
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Corps of Engineers Dredging/Deposit Areas Redfish Bay/Harbor Island
DREDGED CHANNELS Channel to Aransas Pass Corpus Christi Ship Channel GIWW Jetty Channel Lydia Ann Channel OTHER Deposit Areas Hydrology Channels
957000
958000 959000 960000 961000
906000 907000 908000 909000
905000
891000 892000 893000 894000 895000 896000 897000 898000 8920 899000 900000 901000 902000 903000 904000
890500
897000
910000
911000 912000 913000 914000
902000
915000
916000 917000 918000 919000
910000
920000
921000 922000 923000 924000
925000
926000 927000 928000 929000
916800
930000
931000 932000 933000 934000
935000
936000 937000 938000 938200 939000
940000
940500 941000 942000 943000
944000 32442 947000 30000
947500 948000 949000 950000 951000
25000 20000 945000 16000
952000
953000 954000 955000 956000
11000 7000 2850 400 2000 -1540 7000 12000 17000 22000 27000 32000 1000 4000 6000
962000
963000 964000 965000 966000
967000
968000 969000 970000 971000
972000
973000 974000 975000 976000
976607
37000 42000 981000 47000 52000
982000 982400 983000 984000
0
1
Scale 1:100500 2 3 4 kilometers
5
985000
6,262,033
GIWW at Redfish Bay
1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0
1959
1960
1961
1963
1964
1967
1970
1973
Year
Figure 12. Year and volume of material dredged from Redfish Bay area. From USACOE records.
Lydia Ann Channel
500,000 400,000 300,000 Section 2 200,000 Section 1 100,000 0 1948 1954 1968 1984 Section 3 Section 1
Year
Figure 13. Year and volume of material dredged from Lydia Ann Channel including extension to the GIWW in Aransas Bay. From USACOE records.
Channel to Aransas Pass
1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0
1940
1957
1963
1968
1972
1979
Year
Figure 14. Year and volume of material dredged from channel to Aransas Pass. From USACOE records.
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1995
1984
Figure 15. Wastewater discharge permit locations in Corpus Christi Bay System. From TNRCC permit records.
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Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission Waste Water Discharge Permit Locations
Aransas Pass Portland
Port Aransas
N
Corpus Christi
Waste Water Outfall 1/4 Mile Buffer Seagrass
Scale 1:300000
0 5 10 15 20 25
kilometers
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Figure 17. Seagrass bed distribution in 1994 for Corpus Christi Bay System.
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Corpus Christi Bay Seagrass Study Area
Scale 1:250000
0 5 10 15 20 25
kilometers
HABITAT(ha) Patchy SAV Continuous SAV Algal Mat Oyster Wrack Wrack & SAV
CORPUS 1086.05 1117.68 326.90 0.46 2.56 10.69
LAGUNA 448.50 1873.93 83.96 0.00 0.00 110.61
NUECES 279.05 20.77 0.00 10.12 0.00 2.08
RED/HAR 2156.88 2893.24 35.23 45.57 151.72 694.04
Figure 18. Seagrass bed distribution in 1994 for Aransas Bay System.
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Aransas Bay
Seagrass Study Area
HABITAT(ha) Patchy SAV Continuous SAV Algal Mat Macro Algae Oyster Wrack Wrack & SAV
Scale 1:210000
0 5 10 15
ARANSAS 634.13 601.92 897.93 19.30 36.76 9.34 89.94
MESQUITE ST. CHARLES 122.10 113.90 186.44 17.38 80.59 0.00 0.00 102.72 244.76 41.22 51.84 24.46 0.00 0.00
20
25
kilometers
Figure 19. Seagrass bed distribution in 1994 for Copano Bay System.
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Copano Bay
Seagrass Study Area
HABITAT(ha) Patchy SAV Continuous SAV Algal Mat Macro Algae Oyster Wrack & SAV
0 5
COPANO/MISSION 182.92 289.90 285.51 112.62 57.64 0.00
20
PORT/SWAN 188.00 439.55 59.79 0.00 0.43 96.48
25
Scale 1:175000 10 15 kilometers
Figure 20. Seagrass species distributions in 1994 for Redfish Bay/Harbor Island complex.
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Species Distribution for Redfish Bay/Harbor Island
SEAGRASS Patchy Continuous Bare Halodule Halodule/Ruppia Halodule/Halophila Thalassia Thalassia/Halodule Thalassia/Syringodium Syringodium Ruppia Halodule/Thalassia/Ruppia Thalassia/Ruppia
N
0
1
Scale 1:85000 2 3 kilometers
4
5
Figure 21. Seagrass species distribution in 1994 for San Jose Island area.
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SEAGRASS Halodule Halodule/Ruppia Halodule/Halophila Ruppia Halodule/Syringodium Thalassia Thalassia/Halodule Syringodium Bare
M
U
S
A
N
SL D I
AND
Species Distribution along San Jose Island
0 Scale 1:150000 1 2 3 4 kilometers 5
J
O
S
E
N
I
Continuous
S
L
Patchy
A
N
D
Figure 22. Seagrass species distribution in 1994 for Mustang Island area.
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Port Aransas
Species Distribution along Mustang Island
D A N
SEAGRASS Halodule Halodule/Ruppia Halodule/Halophila Ruppia
G
I
S
L
Halodule/Thalassia/Ruppia Thalassia Thalassia/Halodule Thalassia/Syringodium
T
A
N
Syringodium
S
N
Bare Patchy Continuous
M
U
Scale 1:80000 0 1 2 3 4 5
kilometers
Figure 23. Seagrass distribution in 1958 for Redfish Bay/Harbor Island complex.
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Redfish Bay/Harbor Island Complex Seagrass 1958
Seagrass(ha) Patchy Continuous Other Reefs Spoil 24.43 293.20 1263.91 4120.42
0
1
Scale 1:85000 2 3 kilometers
4
5
Figure 24. Seagrass distribution in 1975 for Redfish Bay/Harbor Island complex.
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Redfish Bay/Harbor Island Seagrass 1975
Seagrass(ha) Patchy Continuous Other Reefs Spoil 50.04 239.25 1453.50 4749.63
0
1
Scale 1:85000 2 3 kilometers
4
5
Figure 25. Seagrass distribution in 1994 for Redfish Bay/Harbor Island complex.
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Redfish Bay/Harbor Island Complex Seagrass 1994
Seagrass(ha) Patchy Continuous Other Reefs Wrack 45.57 151.72 2722.68 3021.49
0
1
Scale 1:85000 2 3 kilometers
4
5
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