# Alternative Text Description for Coastal Change Analysis Program (2016) ## TABLE OF CONTENTS - Map Overview - Geographic Context - Key Insights - Visual Elements - Symbol Guide - Additional Information - Data Context ## MAP OVERVIEW This map displays land cover classification data for the entire state of Florida from the NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program for 2016. The map categorizes the landscape into 23 distinct land cover types, including developed areas at various intensities, agricultural lands, forests, wetlands, and aquatic habitats. The classification focuses on coastal regions and adjacent uplands, showing the distribution of natural and human-modified environments across Florida's diverse landscape. ## GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT The map covers the entire state of Florida, from the Georgia-Florida border in the north to the Florida Keys in the south. The panhandle region extends westward along the Gulf of America coast, while the Atlantic coastline runs along the eastern edge. Major coastal features are visible including the extensive coastline along both the Gulf of America and Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Florida Keys island chain at the southern tip. Cities labeled on the map include Savannah (to the north in Georgia), Albany (in Georgia), and Miami (on the southeastern coast). The map shows Florida's distinctive peninsula shape with water bodies surrounding it on three sides. ## KEY INSIGHTS The map reveals several significant spatial patterns in Florida's land cover. The southern portion of Florida, particularly the Everglades region, shows extensive areas of palustrine and estuarine wetlands, appearing as large concentrations of magenta and purple colors. The interior of the peninsula contains substantial forested areas distributed in a mixed pattern throughout the central regions. Developed areas of varying intensities cluster along both coastlines, particularly visible along the Atlantic coast and around the Miami metropolitan area in the southeast. Agricultural and grassland areas appear predominantly in the northern and central portions of the state. A clear distinction exists between the heavily wetland-dominated southern third of the state and the more diverse mix of forest, grassland, and developed areas in the northern and central regions. ## VISUAL ELEMENTS ### Coastal Change Analysis Program Land Cover Classification This layer represents a comprehensive land cover classification system designed to monitor coastal habitats and adjacent uplands. ### Developed - High Intensity (light purple/lavender) **Appearance:** Light purple or lavender colored areas **Distribution:** Scattered throughout the state with concentrations along coastal areas **Notable locations:** Visible clusters along the Atlantic coast, particularly in the southeastern region near Miami, and portions of the Gulf coast **Spatial patterns:** Tends to form concentrated patches in urban and suburban areas, particularly along coastlines and near major population centers ### Developed - Medium Intensity (medium purple/mauve) **Appearance:** Medium purple or mauve colored areas **Distribution:** Found in proximity to high-intensity developed areas, forming transitional zones **Notable locations:** Present around major metropolitan areas, particularly along coastal corridors **Spatial patterns:** Creates buffer zones around high-intensity development, indicating suburban or moderate-density urban areas ### Developed - Low Intensity (brownish-purple) **Appearance:** Brownish-purple colored areas **Distribution:** More dispersed than higher intensity development categories, scattered throughout populated regions **Notable locations:** Found in residential and low-density urban areas across the state **Spatial patterns:** Forms diffuse patterns around developed cores and along transportation corridors ### Developed - Open Space (yellow) **Appearance:** Bright yellow colored areas **Distribution:** Interspersed with other developed categories throughout urban and suburban areas **Notable locations:** Present in developed regions across the state **Spatial patterns:** Appears as small scattered patches within and around developed areas ### Cultivated Land (dark brown) **Appearance:** Dark brown colored areas **Distribution:** Found primarily in the northern and central portions of Florida **Notable locations:** Concentrated in the northern peninsula and panhandle region **Spatial patterns:** Forms irregular patches indicating agricultural land use, more prevalent in interior regions ### Pasture/Hay (tan/beige) **Appearance:** Tan or beige colored areas **Distribution:** Widely distributed across the northern two-thirds of the state **Notable locations:** Prominent in central Florida and the panhandle **Spatial patterns:** Creates extensive patches throughout agricultural and rural regions ### Grassland (light green) **Appearance:** Light green colored areas **Distribution:** Scattered throughout the state with variable density **Notable locations:** Present across the peninsula with concentration in central regions **Spatial patterns:** Forms irregular patches intermixed with other land cover types ### Deciduous Forest (bright green) **Appearance:** Bright green colored areas **Distribution:** Distributed across the state with concentration in northern and central regions **Notable locations:** More prevalent in the northern half of the state **Spatial patterns:** Appears as scattered patches throughout forested regions ### Evergreen Forest (dark green) **Appearance:** Dark green colored areas **Distribution:** Widespread throughout the peninsula **Notable locations:** Present across much of the interior of the state **Spatial patterns:** Forms extensive patches particularly in central Florida ### Mixed Forest (medium green) **Appearance:** Medium green colored areas **Distribution:** Found throughout the forested regions of the state **Notable locations:** Distributed across the peninsula **Spatial patterns:** Intermixes with other forest types creating a mosaic pattern ### Scrub/Shrub (olive green) **Appearance:** Olive green colored areas **Distribution:** Scattered throughout the state **Notable locations:** Present in transitional areas between forest and other land cover types **Spatial patterns:** Forms irregular patches in various regions ### Palustrine Forested Wetland (dark teal) **Appearance:** Dark teal colored areas **Distribution:** Widespread throughout Florida with notable concentration in southern regions **Notable locations:** Extensive in the Everglades and throughout the southern peninsula **Spatial patterns:** Creates large continuous patches in wetland-dominated areas ### Palustrine Scrub/Shrub Wetland (orange) **Appearance:** Orange colored areas **Distribution:** Scattered throughout wetland areas **Notable locations:** Present in wetland complexes, particularly in southern Florida **Spatial patterns:** Appears as patches within larger wetland systems ### Palustrine Emergent Wetland (bright magenta/pink) **Appearance:** Bright magenta or pink colored areas **Distribution:** Extensively distributed across the southern third of Florida **Notable locations:** Dominates the Everglades region and southern coastal areas **Spatial patterns:** Forms massive continuous areas in southern Florida, representing one of the most visually dominant land cover types in that region ### Estuarine Forested Wetland (dark purple) **Appearance:** Dark purple colored areas **Distribution:** Located along coastal margins **Notable locations:** Present along both Gulf and Atlantic coastlines **Spatial patterns:** Forms linear patterns following coastal boundaries ### Estuarine Scrub/Shrub Wetland (medium purple) **Appearance:** Medium purple colored areas **Distribution:** Found in coastal estuarine environments **Notable locations:** Scattered along coastal regions **Spatial patterns:** Appears in patches along the coastal fringe ### Estuarine Emergent Wetland (bright magenta, similar to palustrine emergent) **Appearance:** Bright magenta colored areas, similar in appearance to palustrine emergent wetland **Distribution:** Located in coastal estuarine zones **Notable locations:** Present along tidal marshes and coastal wetland areas **Spatial patterns:** Forms patches along the coastal margin, particularly visible in southern coastal areas ### Unconsolidated Shore (bright cyan/turquoise) **Appearance:** Bright cyan or turquoise colored areas **Distribution:** Found along coastal boundaries **Notable locations:** Present along beaches and shorelines on both coasts **Spatial patterns:** Forms thin linear features following the coastline ### Bare Land (tan/beige similar to pasture) **Appearance:** Tan or beige colored areas **Distribution:** Scattered throughout the state in small patches **Notable locations:** Found in various locations, often in disturbed or transitional areas **Spatial patterns:** Appears as small irregular patches ### Open Water (dark blue) **Appearance:** Dark blue colored areas **Distribution:** Surrounds Florida on three sides and present in interior water bodies **Notable locations:** The Gulf of America to the west and south, Atlantic Ocean to the east, and Lake Okeechobee in the south-central interior **Spatial patterns:** Forms continuous areas around the peninsula and in major lakes ### Palustrine Aquatic Bed (bright blue) **Appearance:** Bright blue colored areas **Distribution:** Found within freshwater wetland systems **Notable locations:** Present in wetland complexes, particularly in southern Florida **Spatial patterns:** Appears as patches within palustrine wetland areas ### Estuarine Aquatic Bed (light blue/lavender) **Appearance:** Light blue or lavender colored areas **Distribution:** Located in coastal estuarine waters **Notable locations:** Present in shallow coastal waters and estuaries **Spatial patterns:** Forms patches in nearshore coastal environments ### Overlapping Patterns The map shows complex intermingling of wetland types in southern Florida, where palustrine and estuarine wetlands create a mosaic pattern. Forest types intermix throughout the central and northern peninsula. Developed areas interface with agricultural lands in many regions, while coastal areas show transitions between upland and wetland habitats. ## SYMBOL GUIDE - **Light purple/lavender:** Developed - High Intensity - **Medium purple/mauve:** Developed - Medium Intensity - **Brownish-purple:** Developed - Low Intensity - **Yellow:** Developed - Open Space - **Dark brown:** Cultivated Land - **Tan/beige:** Pasture/Hay - **Light green:** Grassland - **Bright green:** Deciduous Forest - **Dark green:** Evergreen Forest - **Medium green:** Mixed Forest - **Olive green:** Scrub/Shrub - **Dark teal:** Palustrine Forested Wetland - **Orange:** Palustrine Scrub/Shrub Wetland - **Bright magenta/pink:** Palustrine Emergent Wetland - **Dark purple:** Estuarine Forested Wetland - **Medium purple:** Estuarine Scrub/Shrub Wetland - **Bright magenta (estuarine):** Estuarine Emergent Wetland - **Bright cyan/turquoise:** Unconsolidated Shore - **Tan/beige (bare):** Bare Land - **Dark blue:** Open Water - **Bright blue:** Palustrine Aquatic Bed - **Light blue/lavender:** Estuarine Aquatic Bed - **White:** No Data ## ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This map is part of a long-term monitoring program designed to track coastal habitat changes over time. The classification system distinguishes between palustrine (freshwater) and estuarine (brackish/saltwater) wetland types, and further categorizes them by vegetation structure (forested, scrub/shrub, or emergent). Development is classified into four intensity levels based on impervious surface coverage. The map represents a single time period (2016) but is part of a series designed for temporal comparison. The highly detailed classification creates a complex visual pattern where individual land cover types may appear as small dots or patches, particularly in areas with diverse or mixed land cover. Users should note that this map emphasizes coastal regions and wetlands, which are the primary focus of the C-CAP program. ## DATA CONTEXT **Data Source:** The NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program produces this data using Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery. The classification is created through image interpretation and analysis techniques designed to standardize land cover mapping across U.S. coastal regions. Data source layer name: CCAP_2016. **Definition Query:** No definition query or filter criteria was applied to this layer. The map displays the complete 2016 land cover classification dataset for Florida. **Scale Information:** The map displays statewide coverage appropriate for regional and state-level analysis. The source data is derived from 30-meter resolution Landsat imagery, making it suitable for landscape-level assessment but not detailed site-specific analysis. **Coordinate System:** NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087) **Time Period of Content:** The map is labeled as 2016 data, though the metadata indicates the actual Landsat imagery may have been acquired a few years before or after 2016. The broader timeframe is reported as 2001-2016 Era. **Limitations:** The actual acquisition dates of source imagery may vary from the nominal 2016 date. The classification accuracy and detail level are constrained by the 30-meter resolution of Landsat imagery. Some land cover types may be difficult to distinguish in areas with mixed or transitional habitats. The classification is designed for coastal habitat monitoring and may have varying accuracy for interior upland areas. **Map Coverage:** The map covers the entire state of Florida including the panhandle, peninsula, and Florida Keys, extending from the Georgia border in the north to the southernmost keys. Adjacent water bodies including the Gulf of America and Atlantic Ocean are shown for geographic context. Small portions of Georgia and the Straits of Florida are visible at the map margins. --- The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.