This case study demonstrates benefits associated with the integration of an interdisciplinary geospatial framework connecting terrestrial sediment-borne pollutant sources, aquatic sinks, and Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) concentrations in coastal waters situated along a north–south salinity gradient established by marine scientists ((Conmy, R. N., Temporal and Spatial Patterns in Optical Properties of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter on Florida’s Gulf Coast: Shelf to Stream to Aquifer. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of South Florida, Tampa (FL), USA, 2008) and (Conmy, R. N., Coble, P. G., Cannizzaro, J. P., & Heil, C., A., Influence of Extreme Storm Events on West. Marine Science Faculty Publications, Florida Shelf CDOM Distributions, 2009)). This chapter illustrates the limits of measurements of CDOM concentrations alone to characterize the gradient in coastal waters without them being linked to source-sink potentials (including soil characteristics) from adjacent watersheds. Accordingly, a place-based integrated framework can be useful in overcoming some of these limitations, as solutions to coastal CDOM-related issues must account for the terrestrial contributions of adjacent watersheds. This approach requires rethinking boundary conditions to develop units of analysis that facilitates accounting of both terrestrial and coastal systems. Given coastal water quality conditions (including CDOM) are influenced by terrestrial-focused strategies (i.e., upstream watershed management), they too must be considered when using CDOM measurements to characterize coastal water conditions. Additionally, attempts to understand, mitigate, or alleviate these conditions would be well-suited to utilize holistic, watershed-based approaches (ie., integrated and interdisciplinary), incorporating watershed characteristics (soil properties, slope, LULC, rainfall), and in-stream discharge and water quality (AP and TSS) to explain coastal water quality variations (including CDOM).