diff --git a/src/app.js b/src/app.js
index d1ea00fd..9414e789 100644
--- a/src/app.js
+++ b/src/app.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { useLayers } from '@context';
 import { Sidebar } from '@components/sidebar';
 import { ControlPanel } from '@components/control-panel';
 import { ComparePanel } from '@components/compare-panel';
-import { MapLegend } from '@components/legend';
+import { MapLegend, AdditionalMapLegend } from '@components/legend';
 import { AlertUser } from '@components/alert-user';
 import { Config } from '@components/config';
 import { Acknowledgements } from "@components/acknowledgements";
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ const Content = () => {
             { (defaultInstanceName != null) && <ControlPanel/> }
             <ComparePanel/>
             <MapLegend />
+            <AdditionalMapLegend />
             <Acknowledgements />
         </Fragment>
     );
diff --git a/src/components/legend/additional-legend.js b/src/components/legend/additional-legend.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fce01f40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/legend/additional-legend.js
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+import React, { useRef, Fragment } from 'react';
+import { Card, Box, Stack, Avatar, Typography } from '@mui/joy';
+import { useLayers } from '@context';
+import Draggable from "react-draggable";
+
+/**
+ * renders the legend for selected additional layers
+ *
+ * @constructor
+ */
+export const AdditionalMapLegend = () => {
+    // install the selected observation list from the layer context
+    const { externalLayers, topMostExtLegendIndex, setTopMostExtLegendIndex } = useLayers();
+
+    // create a reference to avoid the findDOMNode deprecation issue
+    const nodeRef = useRef(null);
+
+    /**
+     * handles a click on the legend to make it have focus
+     */
+    const handleClick = (index) => {
+        // set the new topmost dialog in the stack
+        setTopMostExtLegendIndex(index);
+    };
+
+    // render the legends
+    return (
+        <Fragment>
+        {
+            // loop through the external layers and create checkbox selections grouped by the source
+            externalLayers
+            // group by the source name
+            .filter((val, idx, self) => (
+                idx === self.findIndex((t)=> ( t['source'] === val['source']) ))
+            )
+            // output sources
+            .map((layer) => (
+                // display legends for all selected external layers
+                externalLayers
+                // group by the source name
+                .filter(item => item.source === layer.source)
+                // only render visible layers that have a URL to a legend
+                .filter(item => (item.state.visible && item.params['legendURL']))
+                // run through all the layers in each group
+                .map((sublayer, itemIndex) => (
+                    <Draggable
+                        key={ itemIndex }
+                        bounds="parent"
+                        nodeRef={ nodeRef }
+                        handle="#draggable-legend-card"
+                        cancel={ '[class*="MuiDialogContent-root"]' }>
+
+                        <Card
+                            ref={ nodeRef }
+                            variant="soft"
+                            onClick={ () => handleClick(sublayer['row_num']) }
+                            sx={{
+                                position: 'absolute',
+                                top: 10 + ( 15 * itemIndex ),
+                                right: 75 + ( 25 * itemIndex ),
+                                transition: 'filter 250ms',
+                                padding: '5px',
+                                border: 1,
+                                borderRadius: 'sm',
+                                filter: 'opacity(0.9)', '&:hover': { filter: 'opacity(1.0)' },
+                                width: '60px',
+                                zIndex: (sublayer['row_num'] === topMostExtLegendIndex) ? 1000 : 999 }}>
+
+                                <Stack
+                                    direction="column"
+                                    gap={ 1 }
+                                    p={ 1 }
+                                    alignItems="center">
+
+                                    <Avatar
+                                        id="draggable-legend-card"
+                                        variant="outlined"
+                                        sx={{
+                                            filter: 'opacity(0.9)',
+                                            '&:hover': { filter: 'opacity(1.0)' },
+                                            mt: -.5,
+                                            p: 1,
+                                            height: 50,
+                                            width: 50,
+                                            cursor: 'move'
+                                        }}>
+
+                                        <Typography sx={{ p: 0, m: 0, fontColor: "black", fontWeight: 'bold', fontSize: "10px" }}>
+                                            { sublayer.source.split(' ').map(word => word.charAt(0)) } { sublayer.row_num }
+                                        </Typography>
+                                    </Avatar>
+
+                                    <Box
+                                        component="img"
+                                        alt=""
+                                        src={ sublayer.params['legendURL'] }
+                                        sx={{ width: '50px', mb: -1, p: 0, height: '160px', zIndex: 999 }} />
+                                </Stack>
+                        </Card>
+                    </Draggable>
+                ))
+            ))
+        }
+        </Fragment>
+    );
+};
diff --git a/src/components/legend/index.js b/src/components/legend/index.js
index 74075732..f1883c2a 100644
--- a/src/components/legend/index.js
+++ b/src/components/legend/index.js
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
-export * from './legend';
\ No newline at end of file
+export * from './legend';
+export * from './additional-legend';
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/components/legend/legend.js b/src/components/legend/legend.js
index 73b49bef..fd21be21 100644
--- a/src/components/legend/legend.js
+++ b/src/components/legend/legend.js
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ export const MapLegend = () => {
                         '&:hover': { filter: 'opacity(1.0)' },
                         padding: '10px',
                         zIndex: 999,
+                        border: 1,
                         borderRadius: 'sm',
                         visibility: legendVisibilty,
 
diff --git a/src/components/map/external-layers.js b/src/components/map/external-layers.js
index 7efa444c..09326eb3 100644
--- a/src/components/map/external-layers.js
+++ b/src/components/map/external-layers.js
@@ -16,15 +16,7 @@ export const ExternalLayers = () => {
         externalLayers
     } = useLayers();
 
-    //const sst_url = "https://coastwatch.noaa.gov/erddap/wms/noaacwBLENDEDsstDNDaily/request";
-    //const sst_layer = "noaacwBLENDEDsstDNDaily:analysed_sst";
-
-    //const sst_url = "https://coastwatch.noaa.gov/erddap/wms/noaacwecnAVHRRmultisatsstEastCoastMonthly/request";
-    //const sst_layer = "noaacwecnAVHRRmultisatsstEastCoastMonthly:sst";
-
-    //const sst_url = "https://coastwatch.noaa.gov/erddap/wms/noaacwecnAVHRRmultisatsstEastCoast3Day/request";
-    //const sst_layer = "noaacwecnAVHRRmultisatsstEastCoast3Day:sst";
-
+    // if there are external layers to render
     if (externalLayers != null) {
         return (
             <Fragment>
@@ -34,10 +26,10 @@ export const ExternalLayers = () => {
                     .map(
                         (layer) => (
                             <WMSTileLayer
-                                key={layer.name}
-                                url={layer.url}
-                                layers={layer.layer}
-                                params={layer.params}
+                                key={ layer.name }
+                                url={ layer.url }
+                                layers={ layer.layer }
+                                params={ layer.params }
                             />
                         )
                     )
diff --git a/src/components/trays/additional-layers/externalLayerItems.js b/src/components/trays/additional-layers/externalLayerItems.js
index 3732185d..c1497005 100644
--- a/src/components/trays/additional-layers/externalLayerItems.js
+++ b/src/components/trays/additional-layers/externalLayerItems.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import {
 import { KeyboardArrowDown as ExpandIcon } from '@mui/icons-material';
 import { useLayers } from "@context/map-context";
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
-import {ActionButton} from "@components/buttons";
+import { ActionButton } from "@components/buttons";
 
 // set component prop types
 ExternalLayerItems.propTypes = {
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ export default function ExternalLayerItems(data) {
                                         expanded={ getAccordionState(layer['source']) }
                                         onChange={ () => toggleAccordionView(layer['source']) }>
 
-                                        <AccordionSummary>
+                                        <AccordionSummary sx={{flexDirection: "row-reverse"}}>
                                             <Typography sx={{ p: 0, fontWeight: 'bold', fontSize: "16px" }}> { layer['source'] }</Typography>
                                         </AccordionSummary>
 
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ export default function ExternalLayerItems(data) {
                                                                 <Checkbox
                                                                     size="sm"
                                                                     checked={ getCheckedState( layer.name ) }
-                                                                    label={ <Typography sx={{ fontSize: "xs" }}> { layer['name'] } </Typography> }
+                                                                    label={ <Typography sx={{ fontSize: "xs" }}> { layer['row_num'] }: { layer['name'] } </Typography> }
                                                                     onChange={ () => toggleLayerVisibility(layer['name']) }
                                                                 />
 
diff --git a/src/components/trays/remove/index.js b/src/components/trays/remove/index.js
index 9542fbc2..5be34922 100644
--- a/src/components/trays/remove/index.js
+++ b/src/components/trays/remove/index.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { RemoveAllObservations } from "./remove-observations";
 import { RemoveModels } from "./remove-models";
 import { ResetStyles } from "./reset-styles";
 import { ResetCompare } from "./reset-compare";
+import { RemoveAdditionalLayers } from "./remove-addl-layers";
 
 // get an icon for the tray
 export const icon = <RemoveIcon />;
@@ -25,5 +26,6 @@ export const trayContents = () => (
             <RemoveModels />
             <ResetStyles />
             <ResetCompare />
+            <RemoveAdditionalLayers />
       </Stack>
     );
diff --git a/src/components/trays/remove/remove-addl-layers.js b/src/components/trays/remove/remove-addl-layers.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..47eca499
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/trays/remove/remove-addl-layers.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import React, { Fragment } from 'react';
+import { Button } from '@mui/joy';
+import { useLayers } from "@context";
+
+/**
+ * component that handles the removal of Additional layers.
+ *
+ * @returns React.ReactElement
+ * @constructor
+ */
+export const RemoveAdditionalLayers = () => {
+    // get the method to remove the observation items in state
+    const { removeAdditionalLayers } = useLayers();
+
+    // render the button
+    return (
+        <Fragment>
+            <Button color="primary" onClick={() => removeAdditionalLayers()}>Remove selected additional layers</Button>
+        </Fragment>
+    );
+};
diff --git a/src/context/map-context.js b/src/context/map-context.js
index a9dc4505..ca7a54fd 100644
--- a/src/context/map-context.js
+++ b/src/context/map-context.js
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ export const LayersProvider = ({ children }) => {
   // state to keep track of the obs dialog that has focus
   const [topMostDialogIndex, setTopMostDialogIndex] = useState(0);
 
+  // state to keep track of the obs dialog that has focus
+  const [topMostExtLegendIndex, setTopMostExtLegendIndex] = useState(0);
+
   /**
    * this section is for the side-by-side compare mode items
    * @type {string}
@@ -127,6 +130,26 @@ export const LayersProvider = ({ children }) => {
       }
   };
 
+  /**
+   * hides the selected additional layers
+   *
+   */
+  const removeAdditionalLayers = () => {
+      // get a copy of the external layers
+      const newLayers = [...externalLayers];
+
+      // loop through the layers
+      newLayers.map(layer => {
+        // if this later is set to visible
+        if (layer.state.visible) {
+            layer.state.visible = false;
+        }
+      });
+
+      // save the altered list
+      setExternalLayers([...newLayers]);
+  };
+
   /**
    * clears any captured compare selection data and layers
    *
@@ -452,10 +475,13 @@ export const LayersProvider = ({ children }) => {
         selectedRightLayer, setSelectedRightLayer,
         sideBySideLayers, setSideBySideLayers,
         resetCompare, removeSideBySideLayers,
-
+        removeAdditionalLayers,
 
         // tracks the dialog that has focus
-        topMostDialogIndex, setTopMostDialogIndex
+        topMostDialogIndex, setTopMostDialogIndex,
+
+        // tracks the topmost additional layer legend index
+        topMostExtLegendIndex, setTopMostExtLegendIndex
       }}
     >
       {children}