As freshwater flows from inland sources to the coast, it supports myriad recreational, industrial, business, and tourist activities. Freshwater flowing into the bays mixes with more salty water from the ocean creating an estuary area that supports unique ecological systems. As the Texas coastal population continues to grow, the Institute believes that it is vital to the local communities and ecology that freshwater inflows are prudently managed and maintained.

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Texas state agencies have studied the economic impact of recreational and commercial activities along the Gulf Coast and have determined how much freshwater is needed to sustain life and activities in Texas bays and estuaries.  However, the economic importance of maintaining freshwater inflows has been difficult to measure.

Dr. Joni Charles, Associate Professor in the Finance and Economics Department at Texas State , recently completed a major study for the Institute and the National Wildlife Federation to measure the local economic impacts associated with current activities (recreational fishing, hunting and wildlife observation), amenities, and ecological systems dependent on freshwater inflows in the major bays and estuaries of the Texas Gulf Coast.

 

 

Submerged seagrass beds play a critical role in the coastal environment, such as providing nursery habitat for fisheries in Texas bays and estuaries. Many scientists, aquatic resource managers, and citizens are concerned about the decline of these seagrass beds along parts of the Texas coast. In response to these concerns, the Institute is monitoring the health of seagrass systems using aerial remote sensing data. This project takes a landscape analysis approach to seagrass monitoring and establishes protocols for evaluating stress on seagrass systems from landscape-scale dynamics.