Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

This site is currently in beta, and your feedback is helping shape its ongoing development.

National Estuarine Research Reserve System - NERRS - Vegetation Monitoring Data

Published by Office for Coastal Management | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: December 19, 2025 | Last Modified: 2010-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System has developed a consistent protocol for monitoring vegetation across the nations estuaries. Eventually, the goal is to be monitoring vegetation regularly at every Reserve, allowing for robust spatial and temporal analyses of estuarine vegetation trends. To date, 18 Reserves have implemented this vegetation monitoring protocol. The vegetation community that is assessed varies by reserve. The protocol has been implemented for submerged aquatic vegetation such as eelgrass and algae, as well as for emergent vegetation such as salt marshes and mangroves. The vegetation monitoring protocol involves permanent sampling plots along fixed transects. Parameters monitored include percent cover of all plant species, as well as stem density and canopy height of the common species. Elevation is also assessed for each plot when feasible. The complete monitoring protocol provides more details. These data will be valuable for tracking changes in abundance of particular species of interest, or in species composition over time. For instance, the transects can be used to detect landward migration of vegetation communities in the face of projected sea level rise. The National Estuarine Research Reserves is a network of 30 reserves protected for long-term research, ecosystem monitoring, education, and coastal stewardship. Established by the Coastal Zone Management Act, the reserve system is a partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states. NOAA provides funding, national guidance, and technical assistance. Each reserve is managed on daily basis by a lead state agency or university with input from local partners. These data are collected as part of the NERRS System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP), which includes (1) abiotic indicators of water quality and weather; (2) biological monitoring; and (3) watershed, habitat, and land use mapping. Data were collected under individual Reserve NOAA grant/cooperative agreements and managed by the CDMO under NOAA grant/cooperative agreement #NA24NOSX420C0061-T1-01 (2024) and prior grants. For more information on Reserve locations and programs, please visit www.nerrsdata.org or https://coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/.

Find Related Datasets

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

EARTH SCIENCE EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL > MANGROVE SWAMP EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL > SALT MARSH EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL > SAV/SEA GRASS BED EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > ESTUARY EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > ESTUARY > BRACKISH MARSH EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION > VEGETATION COVER EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION > VEGETATION SPECIES EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > ESTUARIES EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > MANGROVES CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > ALABAMA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > ALASKA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > CALIFORNIA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > CONNECTICUT CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > DELAWARE CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > FLORIDA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > GEORGIA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > GREAT LAKES CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > HAWAII CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > MAINE CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > MARYLAND CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > MASSACHUSETTS CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > MISSISSIPPI CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > NEW HAMPSHIRE CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > NEW JERSEY CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > NEW YORK CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > NORTH CAROLINA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > OHIO CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > OREGON CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > RHODE ISLAND CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > SOUTH CAROLINA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > TEXAS CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > VIRGINIA CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > WASHINGTON CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > WISCONSIN OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA DOC/NOAA/NOS/OCM > Office of Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce NERRS

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov