Recording seagrass growth in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole

Hurricanes Ian and Nicole hit Mosquito Lagoon, Florida in the Fall of 2022 and since then, the ecosystem has greatly shifted. Prior to these storm events, seagrass in Mosquito Lagoon was almost non-existent due to poor ecosystem conditions but made a rapid recovery in 2023. To study this change, a Random Forest Classification was implemented using Harmonized Landsat Sentinel imagery semi-monthly from September 2022 to January 2024. A model was created for each date in the period, and it was evident that while seagrass was still in a significant decline until March 2023, it came back to pre-collapse levels in summer 2023 and beyond. This recovery could be linked with the hurricane events as they would have redistributed seagrass fragments throughout the lagoon to promote previously dormant growth and altered water conditions, but more research is necessary to determine why exactly seagrass has recovered to this extent. Seagrass density varied throughout each date, with the lowest observed being 0% density and peak being 20.32%, as well as the accuracy of each model (average 84%) depending on the amount of seagrass present. This method was successful in identifying seagrass in limited quantities, and this study raises awareness that constant seagrass monitoring is needed in Mosquito Lagoon to promote conservation of the ecosystem.