Naples Bay is a relatively narrow, shallow estuary ranging in width from 100 to 1500 feet, and in depth from 1 to 23. The Bay’s watershed once drained about 10 square miles, but it now extends to approximately 120 square miles as a result of the construction of the Golden Gate Canal system and its connection to the bay. On average, 200 million gallons of freshwater per day enter Naples Bay from the canal and disrupt the delicate balance of salt and freshwater that estuarine flora and fauna depend upon to flourish. A study produced for the City of Naples by The Conservancy of Southwest Florida indicates that, since 1950, Naples Bay has lost 90% of its sea grass beds, 80% of its oyster reefs, and 70% of its mangrove fringe since 1950.
The characterization of any estuary’s sedimentary substrate is an important and necessary component of any restoration effort...Any restoration design and performance measure targeting also require an understanding of the pre-altered state of the estuary – knowing what the distribution of pre-alteration habitats was. This information was typically not recorded historically, but vestiges of those habitats may remain buried in the subsurface under a thin veneer of sediment. The distribution of oyster reefs is an excellent example. Oysters are considered a keystone species providing valuable shelter and habitat for many other estuarine organisms, improving water quality, and serving as breakwaters to protect adjacent shorelines from erosion. 
Two areas were selected for study in Naples Bay, one in the north close to the mouth of the Gordon River and the second further south at the confluence with Haldeman Creek. The former region is highly developed with all the shoreline developed and no mangrove-forested edge remaining. The latter is still somewhat natural with the eastern shores of Haldeman Creek and Naples Bay containing mangrove forest and fringing oyster reefs. Naples Bay was studied thoroughly. It is here that the subsequent year’s investigation is expected to focus. Side-scan sonar detected many natural and anthropologically modified substrates in the two sub regions of the bay. Sub tidal oyster reefs were identified in the northern region. This documents the value of using side-scan sonar to map existing sub tidal oyster reef habitat and potential habitat for reef restoration. Fringing reefs, sandy mud's, muddy sands, and oyster rubble substrates were also identified. Boat channels, propeller-scarred sediments, and the position of bulkheads are among the human-influenced substrate types that were detected. Side-scan sonar also detected a muddy substrate seaward of a boat canal, suggesting the presence of a suspended sediment pollutant source. The CHIRP profiles showed a complex erosional ravinement surface between 1-3 meters depth below the bottom of Naples Bay. This indicates that a former freshwater drainage system existed across this region prior to marine flooding sometime during the late Holocene.
Planting oysters in unhealthy water won't make it healthy… it will just kill the oysters. Planktonic oyster larvae need hard, stable substrate for settlement and survival. A stable underlying geologic layers could help oysters from sinking into soft bay mud and getting suffocated by fine grained sediments.
In order to receive credit for this cache please answer the following questions:
1: Why is geology important for oyster reefs formation?
2: How oyster reefs can help to protect shoreline from erosion?
3: Tell me what you see at the posted coordinates.
Please email me the answers and post some pictures(optional) at Ground Zero.