Ground surveys were accomplished by cooperative efforts from a number of agencies and individuals. Although not all areas of Chesapeake Bay were ground surveyed, the data did provide valuable supplemental information. The ground surveys confirmed the existence of some SAV beds mapped from the 2009 1:24,000 scale aerial photography, as well as SAV beds that were too small to be visible on the 1:24,000 scale photography. The surveys also provided species data for many of the SAV beds. Ground survey information supplied to VIMS researchers is included on the SAV distribution and abundance digital maps and included in the VIMS SAV GIS Database. The group that performed each survey is designated by a unique symbol to identify the different methods of sampling. In many cases the symbols on the SAV maps have been offset from the actual sampling point to avoid confusion with the mapped SAV bed. Where species information was available, it is included on the map. Because of space limitations on the maps, occasionally one or more survey points are combined where the information was duplicated. All ground survey data supplied to VIMS are tabulated in the ground survey table.

Ground survey data were obtained in 2009 by:

• Peter Bergstrom of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for Prospect and Jug bays; Magothy and Severn rivers

• Cassandra Carr, Amanda Peñafiel, Jessica Alexander, and Lauren Leese of Maryland Environmental Service (MES) for Hart-Miller Island

• Candace Croswell of Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management (BCDEPRM) for Middle, Gunpowder, Back, Patapsco, and Bird rivers

• Patricia Delgado of Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD-DNR) for Bush and Patuxent rivers

• Roman Jesien of Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) for St. Martin River

• Karen McGlathery of University of Virginia (UVA) for Hog Island Bay

• Daniel Ryan of District of Columbia Fisheries and Wildlife Division (DCFWD) for Potomac River

• Brian Sturgis of National Park Service (NPS) for Sinepuxent and Chincoteague bays

• Terry Willis of Chesapeake College (CC) for Chester River

• Chris Guy of United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for Eastern and Mobjack bays

• Evamaria Koch of University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science - Horn Point Laboratory (UMCES) for Cherrystone Channel; Mobjack Bay; Tangier Sound; and Chester, Honga, Potomac, and Middle rivers

• Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) for areas of the Chesapeake that include Chickahominy, Rappahannock, York, Back, and James rivers; Mobjack bay; Mattawoman Creek; Drum Island Flats; and Spidercrab, Hog Island, South, Cobb and Chincoteague bays along the eastern shore of the Delmarva Peninsula
  

VIMS researchers made observations principally from small boats and by diving in areas identified from the aerial photographs.