Alternative Text Description for Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays land cover classification data for the entire state of Florida from the NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) for 2016. The map shows a comprehensive inventory of coastal intertidal areas, wetlands, adjacent uplands, and various development and natural land cover types across the Florida peninsula and panhandle. The dataset uses 23 different land cover categories to represent the diverse ecosystems and human development patterns throughout the state's coastal regions.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, from the panhandle region in the northwest extending eastward to the Atlantic coast, and southward along the peninsula to the Keys. Major cities visible on the map include Pensacola in the western panhandle, Tallahassee in the north-central region, Jacksonville on the northeast coast, Orlando in central Florida, Tampa on the west coast, and Miami in the southeast. The map shows Florida bordered by the Gulf of America to the west and south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and portions of Georgia and Alabama to the north. The Straits of Florida are labeled in the southeast portion of the map.

KEY INSIGHTS

The map reveals significant spatial patterns in Florida's land cover distribution. The southern portion of the peninsula, particularly the Everglades region, shows extensive concentrations of palustrine emergent wetland (bright magenta/pink) and estuarine emergent wetland. The coastal perimeters throughout the state display distinct concentrations of various wetland types, including palustrine and estuarine forested and scrub/shrub wetlands. Urban development (developed high, medium, and low intensity) appears concentrated along both coastlines, particularly around major metropolitan areas in southeast Florida, the Tampa Bay area, and Jacksonville. The interior portions of the state show a complex mosaic of forest types (deciduous, evergreen, and mixed), agricultural lands (cultivated crops and pasture/hay), and grassland/herbaceous areas. Open water bodies are prominently displayed in deep blue, marking Lake Okeechobee in south-central Florida, numerous coastal water bodies, and the surrounding ocean areas.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) 2016 Land Cover

This layer represents a comprehensive classification of land cover types across Florida's coastal regions and adjacent uplands, based on Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery.

Developed, High Intensity

Appearance: Light gray or white color

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state with notable concentrations along coastal areas

Notable locations: Southeast Florida metropolitan corridor (Miami area), Tampa Bay region, Jacksonville area, and other major urban centers

Spatial patterns: Clustered in metropolitan areas, particularly along coastlines and major transportation corridors

Developed, Medium Intensity

Appearance: Medium gray color

Distribution: Surrounding high-intensity developed areas and in smaller urban centers

Notable locations: Urban peripheries and suburban areas around major cities

Spatial patterns: Forms transition zones between high-intensity urban cores and less developed areas

Developed, Low Intensity

Appearance: Light brownish-gray color

Distribution: Widespread in suburban and exurban areas throughout the state

Notable locations: Extends outward from medium-intensity developed areas

Spatial patterns: Scattered throughout the state, particularly in areas transitioning from rural to suburban character

Developed, Open Space

Appearance: Yellow color

Distribution: Interspersed with other developed categories throughout populated regions

Notable locations: Within and around developed areas statewide

Spatial patterns: Dispersed pattern associated with residential and recreational areas

Cultivated Crops

Appearance: Dark brown color

Distribution: Primarily in interior portions of the state

Notable locations: Central Florida interior regions and portions of the panhandle

Spatial patterns: Forms distinct patches in agricultural regions

Pasture/Hay

Appearance: Tan or light orange color

Distribution: Widespread throughout interior and north-central Florida

Notable locations: Central and north-central Florida, with significant presence in the panhandle

Spatial patterns: Large contiguous areas mixed with other agricultural and natural land covers

Grassland/Herbaceous

Appearance: Light peach or pink color

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state

Notable locations: Interior regions and transitional areas between forest and agricultural lands

Spatial patterns: Interspersed among other natural and agricultural land covers

Deciduous Forest

Appearance: Bright green color

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state, more prevalent in northern regions

Notable locations: Panhandle and northern Florida

Spatial patterns: Mixed with other forest types in a complex mosaic

Evergreen Forest

Appearance: Dark green color

Distribution: Throughout the state with concentrations in interior regions

Notable locations: Central and northern Florida

Spatial patterns: Forms significant continuous patches, particularly in less developed interior areas

Mixed Forest

Appearance: Medium green color

Distribution: Widespread throughout the state

Notable locations: Interior and transitional areas between coastal and inland regions

Spatial patterns: Interspersed with other forest types creating a diverse forest mosaic

Scrub/Shrub

Appearance: Olive or brownish-green color

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state

Notable locations: Coastal areas and interior ridges

Spatial patterns: Appears in transitional zones and disturbed areas

Palustrine Forested Wetland

Appearance: Dark teal or blue-green color

Distribution: Extensive throughout the state, particularly along river corridors and coastal areas

Notable locations: River floodplains, coastal margins, and interior wetland systems

Spatial patterns: Linear patterns along waterways and irregular patches in low-lying areas

Palustrine Scrub/Shrub Wetland

Appearance: Orange color

Distribution: Throughout coastal and interior wetland areas

Notable locations: Coastal regions and interior wetland complexes

Spatial patterns: Interspersed with other wetland types in transitional zones

Palustrine Emergent Wetland

Appearance: Bright magenta or hot pink color

Distribution: Highly concentrated in southern Florida

Notable locations: Everglades region, Lake Okeechobee area, and other major wetland systems

Spatial patterns: Forms extensive continuous areas in south Florida, creating the most visually dominant feature in that region

Estuarine Forested Wetland

Appearance: Dark purple or maroon color

Distribution: Coastal margins throughout the state

Notable locations: Gulf of America coast, Atlantic coast, and Florida Keys

Spatial patterns: Linear distributions following coastlines and tidal creek systems

Estuarine Scrub/Shrub Wetland

Appearance: Dark purple-brown color

Distribution: Coastal areas statewide

Notable locations: Coastlines of both the Gulf of America and Atlantic Ocean

Spatial patterns: Narrow bands along coastal margins

Estuarine Emergent Wetland

Appearance: Cyan or bright turquoise color

Distribution: Coastal areas, particularly in southern Florida

Notable locations: South Florida coastlines and estuarine systems

Spatial patterns: Follows tidal zones and estuarine margins

Unconsolidated Shore

Appearance: Light cyan or turquoise color

Distribution: Narrow bands along coastlines

Notable locations: Beach and shoreline areas around the entire Florida peninsula

Spatial patterns: Linear features following the coastline

Bare Land

Appearance: Bright yellow color

Distribution: Scattered in small patches throughout the state

Notable locations: Disturbed areas, construction sites, and naturally barren areas

Spatial patterns: Dispersed small patches with no dominant regional pattern

Open Water

Appearance: Deep blue or navy blue color

Distribution: Throughout the state in lakes, rivers, coastal waters, and ocean areas

Notable locations: Lake Okeechobee (prominent large water body in south-central Florida), Gulf of America, Atlantic Ocean, and numerous smaller lakes and water bodies

Spatial patterns: Large continuous areas in ocean regions, distinct lake features interior to the state, and linear patterns along major rivers

Palustrine Aquatic Bed

Appearance: Medium blue color

Distribution: Within interior and coastal wetland systems

Notable locations: Lake regions and shallow wetland areas

Spatial patterns: Associated with lakes and slow-moving water bodies

Estuarine Aquatic Bed

Appearance: Light blue color

Distribution: Coastal waters and estuarine systems

Notable locations: Shallow coastal waters, particularly along the Gulf of America coast and in Florida Bay

Spatial patterns: Concentrated in protected shallow coastal waters

Overlapping Patterns

The map displays complex interactions between wetland types, particularly in coastal transition zones where palustrine and estuarine wetlands grade into one another. Southern Florida shows extensive overlap between palustrine emergent wetlands and various forested and scrub/shrub wetland types. Urban development patterns show clear relationships with transportation corridors and coastal access, while agricultural lands occupy interior upland areas that transition into natural forest and wetland systems.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents a snapshot of land cover conditions in Florida for the year 2016 as part of NOAA's ongoing coastal monitoring program. The C-CAP program produces these standardized land cover maps on a one-to-five year repeat cycle to enable change detection and trend analysis over time. The classification system uses 23 distinct categories specifically designed to capture the diverse coastal and adjacent upland environments. The map's spatial resolution and classification scheme are optimized for regional-scale analysis and coastal resource management applications. Users should note that while the map is labeled as 2016, the actual Landsat imagery used may have been acquired a few years before or after this date. The extremely fine-grained appearance of the land cover mosaic reflects the high spatial resolution of the underlying Landsat data and the complexity of Florida's landscapes.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

The data is produced by NOAA's Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP), which creates national standardized land cover products for coastal regions of the United States. The land cover classifications are derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery using standardized image processing and classification methods. The program inventories coastal intertidal areas, wetlands, and adjacent uplands to monitor habitat changes over time. C-CAP is a contributing member to the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics consortium, and these products are included as the coastal expression of land cover within the National Land Cover Database.

Data source layer name: CCAP_2016

Definition Query:

No definition query or filter criteria was provided for this map view.

Scale Information:

The map displays statewide coverage appropriate for regional and state-level analysis. The spatial resolution is derived from Landsat imagery, which provides sufficient detail for landscape-scale patterns and coastal resource management applications. This scale is suitable for identifying broad land cover distributions and major spatial patterns but may not be appropriate for site-specific or parcel-level analysis.

Coordinate System:

Albers_Conical_Equal_Area projection

Time Period of Content:

This map represents land cover for the 2016 era. The timeframe is reported as 2001-2016 era in the metadata, but the actual dates of the Landsat imagery used to create the land cover classification may have been acquired a few years before or after 2016. Users should consult the full metadata for specific imagery acquisition dates.

Limitations:

The actual satellite imagery acquisition dates may vary from the nominal 2016 date by a few years. The classification accuracy depends on image quality, seasonal timing of imagery acquisition, and the inherent limitations of remote sensing technology in distinguishing certain land cover types. Cloud cover, shadows, and atmospheric conditions at the time of imagery acquisition may affect classification accuracy in some areas. The map represents conditions at the time of satellite image acquisition and may not reflect very recent changes in land cover.

Map Coverage:

The map covers the entire state of Florida, including the panhandle, peninsula, and Keys. Additional context is provided by showing portions of southern Georgia and Alabama to the north, the Gulf of America to the west and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The map extends slightly beyond Florida's boundaries to provide geographic context and show the full extent of coastal and offshore features.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.