ABSTRACT
CONTENTS Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 53 The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary ........................................................................................ 54 Sanctuary Monitoring Programs.............................................................................................................. 55 The 2002 Blackwater Event .................................................................................................................... 56 The 2003 Blackwater Event .................................................................................................................... 58 Summary and Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 58 Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................................... 59 References ................................................................................................................................................ 59
The Florida Keys, off the southeastern tip of the United States, extend southwest more than 350 km from Biscayne Bay to the Dry Tortugas and form the southeastern margin of Florida Bay (Figure 5.1). Extensive seagrass beds and mangroves surround the Florida Keys, and coral reefs of the Florida Reef Tract occur offshore of the Florida Keys along the Atlantic side. These environments support diverse and productive biological communities, making this area nationally significant because of its high conservation, recreational, commercial, ecological, historical, scientific, educational, and aesthetic values (Causey, 2002).
