Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide many resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, water quality, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects of this loss; emergent wetland mapping, monitoring and restoration efforts; and education. The Emergent Wetlands Status and Trends in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010 report provides scientists, managers, and citizens with valuable baseline information on the background, current status, and historical trends of estuarine and palustrine emergent wetlands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, causes of status change, emergent wetlands mapping and monitoring, and restoration and enhancement activities. This presentation examines emergent wetlands in six individual estuarine areas, including Corpus Christi/Nueces/Aransas Bays and Galveston Bay in Texas; Mississippi Sound in Mississippi; Mobile Bay in Alabama; and the Florida Panhandle and Tampa Bay in Florida.
