Coinciding with World Seagrass Day on March 1, researchers at the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) have announced the release of a new seagrass monitoring protocol they hope will greatly expand seagrass research around the world.
Seagrass is a vital natural resource that supports biodiversity, cycles and stores nutrients and pollution, protects coastal areas, and provides nurseries for larger fisheries. It also mitigates climate change through highly effective carbon sequestration. But seagrass is under threat globally, with an estimated seven percent of seagrass habitat lost every year.
Called SeagrassNet Rapid, the new monitoring protocol was developed by CCS marine ecologist Dr. Agnes Mittermayr and is designed for small research teams with small budgets. The new protocol is intended to expand international data collection efforts by eliminating reliance on costly equipment such as underwater light sensors
In addition to heading up seagrass research at the Center for Coastal Studies, Dr. Mittermayr is the director of SeagrassNet, an international network of scientists, citizen scientists, students, and resource managers who collect data on seagrass meadows.
Since its founding in 2001, SeagrassNet has worked with research partners and volunteers around the globe to collect seagrass samples according to a strict monitoring protocol.
CCS is home to SeagrassNet’s archive of seagrass samples, collected from around the world over the past 25 years. Information about the seagrass samples, including the species and location where they were collected, is entered into a searchable database. The database consists of more than 100,000 on-the-ground observations made at 122 sites in 33 countries and is available on the SeagrassNet website.
In addition to directing SeagrassNet, Dr. Mittermayr is among about three dozen experts leading the 2030 Seagrass Breakthrough. Intended to be a roadmap for international cooperation, the UN-backed initiative seeks to halt the global loss of seagrass, recover degraded seagrass beds, double protection, and ensure sustainable long-term financing.
Established by the UN in 2022, World Seagrass Day raises awareness on the importance of seagrass conservation.
Photo at top: Northern Puffers, Sphoeroides maculatus, photographed in seagrass meadow in Nantucket Harbor